NORTHERN IRELAND

Bill of Rights

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of proposals for a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland.

Hugo Swire: There remains a clear lack of consensus amongst political representatives in Northern Ireland on proposals for a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland and the issue of supplementary rights for Northern Ireland more generally. I will continue to consider how best to address this issue but would urge all sides to work together to build consensus on how best to proceed.

Bill of Rights

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he plans to publish the results of his Department's consultation on a Northern Ireland Bill of Rights.

Hugo Swire: My officials are currently preparing the responses to the previous Government's consultation for publication, and I hope to be in a position to publish very shortly.

Economic Situation

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  when the Government expect to bring forward their proposals for rebalancing the Northern Ireland economy;
	(2)  what economic proposals he has for an enterprise zone in Northern Ireland; and whether the Government plan to include a reduction in corporation tax as part of such proposals.

Owen Paterson: We shall bring forward a Treasury paper on these issues shortly, following full discussion with Northern Ireland Ministers.

Public Expenditure

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he plans to meet the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland to discuss the effects of the outcome of the comprehensive spending review on  (a) public sector jobs in Northern Ireland and  (b) the Northern Ireland economy.

Owen Paterson: I meet the First and Deputy First Minister regularly and discuss a range of subjects at their and my request. These discussions have included the spending review and the economic situation in Northern Ireland.

Saville Inquiry: Finance

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much the Saville Inquiry spent on IT equipment up to February 2010; and how such equipment was disposed of at the end of the inquiry.

Owen Paterson: I am advised that the Bloody Sunday Inquiry spent in the region of £2.9 million on IT equipment between 1998 and 2010. This figure reflects departmental capital accounting policy which is to capitalise all IT equipment if the useful life of the equipment is greater than one year and the cost, including VAT, is greater than £1,000. Figures relating to expenditure by the Bloody Sunday Inquiry are available on the Northern Ireland Office website:
	www.nio.gov.uk
	Upon the closure of the inquiry, it was apparent that the majority of the IT equipment had reached the end of its useful economic life and as such was disposed of securely. Other IT equipment which retained its functionality and value was transferred to other areas of the Department for use elsewhere.

JUSTICE

Prisoners: Voting Rights

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 23 November 2010,  Official Report, column 165, if he will publish each item of correspondence between him and Scottish Ministers on prisoners' voting rights.

Kenneth Clarke: I will reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
	 Substantive answer from Kenneth Clarke to Thomas Docherty:
	I correspond regularly with Scottish Ministers on justice matters, although I have not to date exchanged specific correspondence regarding prisoner voting rights.
	Once decisions have been made about how to implement prisoner voting rights, the Government will announce them to the House in the normal way, and of course intends to engage with the Scottish Government on implementation.

INDEPENDENT PARLIAMENTARY STANDARDS AUTHORITY COMMITTEE

Contracts: Employment

Bob Russell: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, whether contracts of employment signed by Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority staff include conditions relating to confidentiality; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	 Letter from Andrew McDonald:
	As Interim Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking whether contracts of employment signed by Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority staff include conditions relating to confidentiality.
	All IPSA staff are required to sign contracts of employment which include conditions relating to confidentiality. All staff have also signed a separate confidentiality agreement.

Members: Expenses

Bob Russell: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what steps have been taken to investigate allegations that informal media briefings were provided prior to the publication of Parliamentary expenses information on 2 December 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	 Letter from Andrew McDonald:
	As Interim Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what steps have been taken to investigate allegations that informal media briefings were provided prior to the publication of Parliamentary expenses information on 2 December 2010.
	I take any allegations about improper behaviour by members of IPSA's staff, from whatever source, extremely seriously. Following those made in the House of Commons on 2 December relating to briefing of journalists, I took appropriate steps to investigate these and I have seen no evidence supporting these allegations. I therefore fully endorse the statement made by IPSA's Chair on 2 December refuting them.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Church Commissioners Annual Report 2009

Helen Goodman: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, with reference to the Church Commissioners Annual Report 2009, page 34, if he will place in the Library a copy of the  (a) market valuation of other see houses as at 31 December 2008,  (b) latest annual valuation by Gurr Jones of the most valuable and historic items at Lambeth Palace and see houses and  (c) December 2007 valuation by Gurr Jones of the remaining historic items at Lambeth Palace and see houses.

Tony Baldry: The Church Commissioners are not in a position to publish the valuation information of any see houses or the Gurr Jones documents due to the commercially sensitive nature of the valuations.

Church Of England: Finance

Helen Goodman: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what the overheads and running cost to the Church of England were of Lambeth Palace in the latest period for which figures are available.

Tony Baldry: The House of Bishops most recent figures for the costs of running the bishops' offices were published in October 2010. The Church Commissioners spent £5.9 million on maintaining the houses, office premises and gardens of the archbishops and diocesan bishops. Out of that £5.9 million the running costs for Lambeth Palace during 2009 stand at £622,813. The running costs include the salary costs for gardeners and domestic staff. It also includes garden equipment, maintenance, and heating, lighting and cleaning for those parts of the palace that are not the Archbishop's residence. The cost of running the Archbishop's Office in 2009 was £2.6 million this included the cost of support staff and working costs.

Churches: Finance

Helen Goodman: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, which  (a) buildings and  (b) land holdings in the church estate have a monetary value (i) between £5 million and £10 million and (ii) more than £10 million.

Tony Baldry: A list of the most valuable property holdings in which the Church Commissioners have interests can be found on page 48 of the annual report. General information about the total value of Church Commissioner holdings is available in the annual report which is available in the House of Commons Library. Further details of specific valuations are commercially sensitive and the Church Commissioners are unable to release this information.

Churches: Finance

Helen Goodman: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what  (a) buildings,  (b) land and  (c) property holdings of estimated monetary value of over £1 million the Church Commissioners own.

Tony Baldry: General information about the total value of Church Commissioner holdings is available in the annual report and can be found in the House of Commons Library. More detailed information is commercially sensitive and the Church Commissioners are unable to release this information.

Diocesan Advisory Committee

Helen Goodman: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Church Commissioners had completed a consultation with the Diocesan Advisory Committee under section 3 of the Episcopal Endowment and Stipends Measure 1943 before initiating preparations for the sale of the Zurbarans paintings at Auckland Castle.

Tony Baldry: The Church Commissioners understanding of section 3 of Episcopal Endowment and Stipends Measure 1943 is that the Church Commissioners must consult the Diocesan Advisory Committee before demolishing, converting or selling a see house, this does not apply to contents or chattels. The paintings although significant works of art are not part of the fabric of the building and therefore not covered by the 1943 Episcopal Endowment and Stipends Measure which was introduced primarily to enable the Commissioners to take over episcopal endowments in return for paying bishops a fair stipend and providing them with suitable housing.

Lambeth Palace: Finance

Helen Goodman: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, how much income was generated from  (a) visitors,  (b) room hire and  (c) other sources at Lambeth Palace in the latest period for which figures are available.

Tony Baldry: The annual income from visitors to Lambeth Palace in 2009 was £38,696 with overheads of £18,565. This figure is inclusive of room hire, catering, tours and the sale of any souvenir items.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Helen Goodman: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, when he plans to answer questions  (a) 25191,  (b) 25192,  (c) 25197,  (d) 25400,  (e) 25402 and  (f) 25428, on the Church Estate, tabled on 16 November 2010.

Tony Baldry: The Church Commissioners have today answered the hon. Member for Bishop Aukland.

TREASURY

Aggregates Levy: Northern Ireland

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress his Department has made on negotiations with the European Commission for the reinstatement of the aggregates credit relief scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Justine Greening: The Government support the re-introduction of the scheme at the earliest opportunity. Following the European General Court ruling annulling state aid approval for the scheme, the Commission will need to take a new decision on whether it is an approvable state aid. My officials are working closely with the authorities in Northern Ireland and representatives of the quarrying industry to collate supporting evidence to submit to the Commission.

Banks: Crown Dependencies

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many meetings  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have had with each Crown dependency to discuss banking regulation and tax avoidance since 6 May 2010.

Mark Hoban: Ministers and officials from the Treasury and other Government Departments are in regular dialogue with representatives from UK Crown dependencies on a variety of different subjects. It is important that Crown dependencies are compliant with international standards for financial regulation, including on matters relating to banking regulation and tax.

Banks: Loans

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department plans to introduce lending targets for those banks which are part-owned by the Government.

Mark Hoban: The lending commitments agreed between Government and Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) are in place until March 2011.
	The Government recognise that access to finance is essential if businesses are to invest, grow and make their important contribution to supporting the economic recovery.
	In response to the Green Paper, 'Financing a Private Sector Recovery', published earlier this year, Government have set out a comprehensive package of Government and industry-led measures to support small businesses access finance. These measures include:
	additional support for the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) over the next four years to enable over £2 billion of lending to viable small businesses that lack collateral or track record; and
	increased equity finance, through £200 million of additional funding for the 'Enterprise Capital Funds programme', both of which could unlock further debt finance for small and medium-sized businesses
	More information about these measures and the Green Paper is available at:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/businessfinance
	In addition, the British Bankers' Association Taskforce has announced industry-led measure including improving customer relationships through a new Lending Code and the establishment of new £1.5 billion Business Growth Fund, which will provide capital to growing businesses.
	Further information about the BBA Taskforce and its commitments are available at:
	http://www.bba.org.uk/media/article/business-finance-taskforce

Departmental Complaints

Greg Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints  (a) his Department and  (b) National Savings has received in the last 12 months for which figures are available; what recent estimate he has made of the average time taken to resolve such a complaint; how much from the public purse was paid out in compensation as a result of such complaints being upheld in that period; and if he will make a statement.

Justine Greening: The Treasury has received no formal complaints on the way officials deal with members of the public in the last 12 months.
	For the period 1 November 2009 to 31 October 2010, National Savings & Investments (NS&I) received a total of 7,735 complaints. This figure includes all complaints received, whether justified or not.
	NS&I estimates an average time of 36 days is taken to resolve such complaints. NS&I subscribes to the Financial Ombudsman Scheme which allows 40 working days to resolve and respond to complaints.
	The amount paid out in compensation from the public purse for the period 1 November 2009 to 31 October 2010 was £38,975.50.

Departmental Correspondence

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on printing and postage for correspondence in each of the last three financial years.

Justine Greening: The information requested cannot be provided as the Department's accounting system does not identify printing and postage costs by purpose.

Departmental Press: Subscriptions

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much  (a) his Department and  (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible spent on press cuttings services in each of the last 12 months.

Justine Greening: Treasury spending on press cuttings over the last 12 months is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Month (invoice date for services provided in the preceding month)  Amount (£000) 
			 December 2009 24 
			 January 2010 23 
			 February 2010 22 
			 March 2010 25 
			 April 2010 34 
			 May 2010 11 
			 June 2010 24 
			 July 2010 16 
			 August 2010 17 
			 September 2010 12 
			 October 2010 16 
			 November 2010 18 
		
	
	The Treasury's non-departmental public body, the Royal Mint Advisory Committee, did not incur any spending on press cutting services.

Departmental Secondment

Steven Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people employed in the financial services industry were seconded to his Department in each month in the last two years.

Justine Greening: The number of secondees to the Treasury from the financial industry can be found in the following tables:
	
		
			  2009 
			   Number 
			 January 0 
			 February 3 
			 March 9 
			 April 12 
			 May 4 
			 June 3 
			 July 3 
			 August 1 
			 September 0 
			 October 0 
			 November 1 
			 December 1 
		
	
	
		
			  2010 
			   Number 
			 January 0 
			 February 1 
			 March 1 
			 April 1 
			 May 0 
			 June 0 
			 July 4 
			 August 1 
			 September 2 
			 October 1 
			 November 2

Economic Situation: Snow and Ice

Karl Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on the economy of recent adverse weather conditions.

Justine Greening: holding answer 8 December 2010
	It is likely that any negative impact on the economy as a whole resulting from the recent adverse weather will be largely short-term, and should be negligible over time. Some consumption will likely be shifted from one type of good to another, or from one time period to another. The Government continue to monitor all relevant factors from a range of sources to inform their assessment of the UK economy.

EU Budget

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what value for money assessment he has undertaken of the UK's contribution to EU spending in each of the last three years.

Justine Greening: The Government are concerned about the UK's growing contributions to the EU budget and is working hard to reduce them through negotiation of the 2011 EU budget and future budgets. In particular, at the October European Council, the UK won backing from 12 other member states-including Germany and France-to prevent the 6% increase in the 2011 EU budget that was being proposed by the European Parliament.
	In addition, the Government will continue to work hard to ensure EU spending is directed towards areas of the budget with strong controls and best value for money, especially to boost economic growth and competitiveness, and we are co-ordinating with other member states to reduce the costs across all areas of the budget.
	Sound financial management is key to achieving value for money, and the Government are disappointed that the European Court of Auditors has been unable to grant a positive Statement of Assurance on the financial management of EU funds for the 16th year in succession. The Government will continue to champion reform through engagement with European institutions and other member states.

EU Grants and Loans

Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which projects undertaken in the UK with support from EU funds  (a) wholly and  (b) in part are required to be identified by a flag or logo.

Justine Greening: Most EU-funded programmes require the recipient to display the emblem of the EU on information and publicity measures relating to the project and, in the case of physical projects, by means of a commemorative plaque.

Financial Inclusion Fund

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Financial Inclusion Fund in reducing financial exclusion since the Fund was established; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: holding answer 1 November 2010
	The effectiveness of the Financial Inclusion Fund projects are subject to continuous assessment. All projects regularly submit management information to their respective delivery departments and to the Treasury. The Financial Inclusion Taskforce, an independent advisory group, also oversees the effectiveness of the projects.

Office for Budget Responsibility

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2010,  Official Report, column 97W, on the Office for Budget Responsibility, whether the examination of sustainability of public finances will include an assessment of the potential effects on  (a) the environment and  (b) sustainable development in each sector of the economy.

Justine Greening: The Office of Budget Responsibility has been designed to focus the sustainability of the public finances. The Government do not expect the OBR to explicitly consider issues relating to the environment or the sustainable development of each sector of the economy. The Budget Responsibility and National Audit Bill is available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/leg_budgetresponsibility_bill.htm

Personal Savings: Children in Care

David Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether he plans to bring forward proposals to provide a financial contribution for looked after children as part of the proposed junior individual savings account;
	(2)  what representations he has received on looked after children since 23 November 2010.

Mark Hoban: holding answer 6 December 2010
	The Government announced on 26 October 2010 that they would create a new tax-free children's savings account. The new accounts, potentially referred to as Junior ISAs, will offer parents a simple and tax-free way to save for their child's future, while also saving over £500 million that would have been spent each year on Child Trust Funds.
	The Government are working closely with stakeholders to finalise the design of the accounts, and intends for them to be available by autumn 2011.
	This work includes exploring how to ensure that Junior ISAs are accessible to looked after children, who are among the most disadvantaged groups of young people in society.
	In particular, as I said at the Report stage of the Savings Accounts and Health in Pregnancy Grant Bill, on 22 November 2010, I am carefully considering proposals that have been made for the Government to open and contribute to Junior ISA accounts for looked after children.
	The Government have received no further representations on this matter since 23 November 2010.

Revenue and Customs: Standards

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the efficiency of HM Revenue and Customs staff in responding to written correspondence from taxpayers; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: HMRC receives on average between 200,000 to 250,000 items of correspondence per week and has currently under 620,000 items of correspondence on hand, equating to 14 working days worth of receipts. Less than 3% of correspondence is currently over 40 days old.
	National Audit Office recently assessed its efficiency in dealing with correspondence from agents. Its findings were published in the document "Engaging with Tax Agents", published on 13 October 2010.

Tax Allowances

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 25 October 2010,  Official Report, column 144W, on BP: tax allowances, for what reasons tax relief granted by the Exchequer for a specific purpose is considered to be a matter confidential to a particular business.

David Gauke: Tax reliefs and allowances have a statutory basis. The scope of, and conditions for, reliefs and allowances are therefore in the public domain. However, specific claims to tax reliefs and allowances by a particular business and the extent to which those claims are admitted, are subject to HMRCTs strict statutory duty of confidentiality.

Taxation: Construction

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 23 November 2010,  Official Report, column 284W, on taxation: construction, what information HM Revenue and Customs holds on the number of businesses which have had their C1S6 Gross Status Certificate withdrawn in each of the last three calendar years.

David Gauke: holding answer 1 December 2010
	The number of businesses which have had their gross payment status withdrawn in each of the last three calendar years is:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2008 (January to December0 11,348 
			 2009 (January to December) 8,494 
			 2010 (January to 21 November) 8,052

VAT: Charities

Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the amount of additional revenue which will be collected from charities as a result of the change in the rate of value added tax in 2011-12;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the amount of revenue to accrue from value added tax on charities in 2010-11.

David Gauke: holding answer 7 December 2010
	Charities benefit from a range of tax reliefs which for 2009-10 the Government estimates are worth approximately £3 billion per annum. These include reliefs from VAT, for example: VAT zero rating on the sale of donated goods, medical and scientific equipment and, for qualifying charities, goods for use by disabled people. All zero rates are derogations from the normal EU VAT rules, and represent benefits not enjoyed by charities elsewhere in Europe.
	Charities carrying out non-taxable activities may incur irrecoverable VAT on their purchases but information is not available to accurately assess the amount or the effect of the forthcoming increase in the standard rate of VAT.

Welfare Tax Credits

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the claim for tax credits from Craig Bridges, a constituent of the hon. Member for Torbay, to be activated and for payment to begin.

David Gauke: I am not able to publish details of an individual's dealings with HMRC.

Working Tax Credit

Naomi Long: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward proposals to assess an entitlement to the additional element of working tax credit on account of disability by means other than receipt of disability living allowance.

David Gauke: To receive the disability element of the working tax credit, a claimant must usually work at least 16 hours a week and have a mental or physical disability which puts them at a disadvantage in getting a job and must currently get, or have recently been getting, a qualifying sickness or disability benefit. Disability living allowance is one of the benefits that a claimant could be in receipt of in order to pass the "qualifying benefit" test, but it is not the only one.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Solicitor-General whether he undertook an impact assessment of the closure of the Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office.

Edward Garnier: An equality impact assessment was carried out by the Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office (RCPO) Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) transition merger board. A copy of this assessment will be placed in the Library.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Colombia: Politics and Government

Jim McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Government of Colombia requesting that church leaders be treated as a particularly vulnerable group.

Jeremy Browne: The Colombian authorities generally consider whether individuals are vulnerable on a case-by-case basis rather than considering specific groups as vulnerable.
	The UK Government share your concern that some religious leaders in Colombia, together with trade unionists, journalists and other human rights defenders are vulnerable. We have made representations to the Colombian Government in the past on such cases, and we will continue to do so.
	On 11 November this year our officials in London met Christian Solidarity Worldwide and the wife of disappeared Pastor William Reyes to discuss the situation of church leaders and Christians in Colombia. Officials at our embassy in Bogota also met members of the Kogui Christian Community earlier this year, to show visible support for their right to religious freedom.

Departmental Pay

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people have received a salary of more than £140,000 per annum from his Department in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office paid a basic salary of more than £140,000 to the following numbers of staff in each year since 2005-06:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2005-06 5 
			 2006-07 7 
			 2007-08 10 
			 2008-09 9 
			 2009-10 8

European Union: Treaties

William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals for Treaty amendment consequent on the meeting of the European Council on 28 and 29 October 2010 have been  (a) made to and  (b) discussed in (i) COREPER (ii) the Council of Ministers and (iii) the European Council; what the content is of such proposals; on what dates further discussion of such proposals is planned in each such body; what timetable has been set for (A) ratification and (B) implementation of Treaty amendments; if he will deposit the text of such proposals in the House for scrutiny by the European Scrutiny Committee under the powers of Standing Order No. 143; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: holding answer 8 December 2010
	Following the October European Council and the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) meeting on 28 November, the issue of treaty amendment in relation to eurozone stability will be discussed at the December European Council. This is on the basis of a report from the President of the European Council. We expect proposals, once circulated, to be discussed in the usual way in COREPER, the Council and finally at the December European Council. My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer have set out the UK's position before Parliament. They have made clear that the UK will not be part of any new permanent stability mechanism for the eurozone.

Iran: Nuclear Weapons

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what recent reports he has received from Arab states on the acquisition of atomic weapons by Iran; and if he will make a statement; [R]
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in Arab states on the acquisition of atomic weapons by Iran; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Alistair Burt: We have a regular and detailed dialogue with Arab states about a range of regional challenges, including the need for Iran to bring its nuclear programme in line with its international obligations.
	Most recently a UK delegation led by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence was able to discuss these concerns and challenges with a number of regional partners at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Manama Dialogue in Bahrain 3-7 December.
	Regional countries tell us that they are deeply concerned by Iran's nuclear ambitions and share the UK's objective of finding a diplomatic solution to this issue.

Wood

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the compliance of  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) its non-departmental public bodies with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's criteria for sourcing sustainable timber.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) timber procurement follows the specifications defined in the UK Government's Timber Procurement Policy which requires that all timber and wood products must be procured from independently verifiable legal and sustainable sources or Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade-licensed timber or equivalent sources. The Government's definition of sustainability is based on internationally agreed criteria for sustainable forest management, which is referred to by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.
	The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation have not set criteria for sourcing sustainable timber as such, but refer to the same internationally agreed criteria.
	The procurement of timber and wood products for the FCO executive agency Wilton Park is undertaken on their behalf by the Corporate Procurement Group within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and is therefore compliant with the specifications mentioned above.
	The Head of Global Estates and the Head of Procurement have confirmed that the British Council follows the specifications set out in the UK Government's Timber Procurement Policy for timber procurement in the UK and overseas.
	The Westminster Foundation for Democracy does not source timber. Similarly the Great Britain China Centre have not had to source timber and have confirmed that they would comply with the UN Food and Agriculture criteria for sourcing sustainable timber.
	There has been no record of procurement of timber in this financial year for the other non-departmental public bodies: BBC World Service, Diplomatic Service Appeals Board, Foreign Compensation Commission, Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission and the UK India Round Table.

Zimbabwe: Human Rights

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps at the United Nations he  (a) has taken since his appointment and  (b) plans to take in the next six months in response to allegations of (i) human rights abuses and (ii) attacks on farms and agricultural workers in Zimbabwe; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The UK was proactive in raising Zimbabwe at the UN at the height of the violence in 2008. However, given the improvements in the situation on the ground the UN has not discussed Zimbabwe since the formation of the Inclusive Government in February 2009. We will continue to consider the role of the UN as we monitor the situation in Zimbabwe.
	Since the formation of the Inclusive Government there has been a marked fall in the levels of violence from a peak of over 300 deaths in 2008 to single figures in 2010. Figures for reported deaths and injuries have remained fairly stable over the past year. However, the fear of violence and intimidation, particularly in relation to forthcoming elections, remains high.
	The farm invasions by ZANU (PF) supporters contravene the Southern African Development Community ruling of November 2008 as well as the terms of the Global Political Agreement. Farm workers suffer equally with farm owners, often losing their accommodation as well as their livelihood.
	Our embassy in Harare monitors the situation closely and continues to make clear our concerns to the Government of Zimbabwe. The consul met with British farmers in July to further understand their concerns and see what assistance we might be able to offer. Violent invasions demonstrate a lack of respect for the rule of law. We continue to urge the police and judicial authorities in Zimbabwe to take action against them.
	We, with our partners, including the UN, will continue to monitor the human rights situation closely and support efforts to prevent abuses and institute international human rights standards.

Zimbabwe: Human Rights

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of political violence in Zimbabwe; what recent discussions he has had with his Zimbabwean counterpart on this issue; what the outcome of such discussions was; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had any meetings with the Zimbabwean Minister for Foreign Affairs.
	The general level of violence and abuse has reduced greatly since its peak in 2008. We continue to be concerned about politically-inspired human rights abuses perpetrated against political and civil society activists and farm workers-intimidation, harassment and arbitrary arrests. We are also concerned about the repressive legislation which adversely affects the innocent people of Zimbabwe. Figures for reported deaths and injuries have remained fairly stable over the past year. However, the fear of violence and intimidation, particularly in relation to forthcoming elections, remains high.
	We continue to call, both bilaterally and with EU member states, for an end to all such abuses and the restoration of internationally accepted human rights standards in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe: Human Rights

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on allegations of human rights abuses in Zimbabwe; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: Contact with a wide range of civil society actors, backed by our own observations, suggests that since the formation of the Inclusive Government there has been a marked fall in the levels of violence. This has reduced from a peak of over 300 deaths in 2008 to single figures in 2010. Figures for reported deaths and injuries have remained fairly stable over the past year. However, the fear of violence and intimidation, particularly in relation to forthcoming elections, remains high.
	We, with our partners, will continue to monitor the human rights situation closely. We will also continue to support efforts to prevent abuses and institute international human rights standards.

Zimbabwe: Human Rights

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions  (a) HM ambassador to Zimbabwe,  (b) Ministers in his Department and  (c) officials in his Department have had with the President of Zimbabwe on human rights in Zimbabwe; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: There have been no recent meetings between Ministers or officials and President Mugabe. The only contact our ambassador has had with President Mugabe was when he presented his credentials on 23 July 2009.
	We remain concerned that the Zimbabwean Parliament have not yet repealed repressive legislation and there has been little progress on judicial reform or establishing the rule of law.
	Despite the substantial reduction in violence since the formation of the Inclusive Government, we continue to be concerned about politically-inspired human rights abuses-intimidation, harassment and arbitrary arrests-perpetrated against journalists, as well as political and civil society activists.
	We continue to monitor the situation on the ground and urge all sides of government to observe the spirit as well as the letter of the Global Political Agreement fully. We are also calling, both bilaterally and with EU member states, for an end to all such abuses and the restoration of internationally accepted human rights standards in Zimbabwe.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Poultry

Andrew Turner: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what arrangements the House of Commons catering service plans to put in place to ensure that the slaughter method of poultry served in its catering outlets is known; when such arrangements will become operational; and from what date such arrangements will be in place.

John Thurso: Incumbent suppliers and suppliers bidding for the award of the contract for the future supply of fresh meats and poultry to the House of Commons catering service have provided written guarantees that they will ensure that no halal slaughtered poultry is supplied unless specifically requested or agreed to by the House of Commons catering service.
	It has also been added as a condition of contract with both existing and soon-to-be-appointed suppliers that should the House of Commons catering service be forced to accept halal slaughtered poultry due to market availability, this will firstly be communicated verbally and then clearly indicated by the supplier on the delivery note through the introduction of unique halal product codes and descriptions which will clearly indicate halal slaughter.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Homelessness: Voting Rights

John Mann: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what steps the Electoral Commission is taking on the registration of homeless people to vote.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that Electoral Registration Officers are responsible for compiling and maintaining the electoral register. Electoral law enables homeless people to register by way of a declaration of local connection. The Electoral Commission produces guidance for Electoral Registration Officers, which sets out some ways to identify homeless people who may be entitled to register in this way, including through local homeless charities and organisations, day centres and hostels.
	In addition, as part of its campaign ahead of the 2010 UK Parliamentary General Election, the Commission developed a poster to encourage voter registration among homeless people. The Commission sent letters to 1,603 hostels and 835 charities and homeless organisations that work with homeless people to encourage them to order this poster, along with other Commission resources that would be useful in engaging with this group. The letter also gave instructions for running a workshop on registration and voting.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments: Botulinum Toxin

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will review the continued use of mice for the potency testing of botulism under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in the light of the availability of a validated alternative which does not involve the use of animals; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: We continue to authorise the use animals for the potency testing of botulinum toxin products as international and United Kingdom regulations relating to the safety and efficacy of medicines require that they are tested for potency. This form of testing is kept under regular review and only licensed where there is no alternative.
	The Home Office currently license the use of animals for the testing of material produced in the United Kingdom for medicinal use because, at present, non-animal alternatives have yet to be validated to the standard required for use by the relevant laboratories. There is a wide variation in batch-to-batch potency which requires that each batch should be checked and each different medicine requires a unique development, validation and regulatory acceptance for any proposed alternative test. There is no agreed measurable unit of potency for botulinum toxin, it can only be assessed as a function of its biological effect on a living organism.
	We believe that our licensing is consistent with the requirement of section 5(5)(a) of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 that licence authorities may only be granted where we are satisfied that the purpose of the programme to be specified in the licence cannot be achieved satisfactorily by any other reasonably practicable method not entailing the use of animals.
	The Home Office and all others, including the laboratories and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, concerned with conducting and regulating such testing are committed to using alternatives to animals as soon as it becomes practicable to do so.

Asylum: Deportation

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of progress of the UK Border Agency in implementing the recommendations on the management of removals made by Baroness O'Loan in March 2010.

Damian Green: Following publication of Baroness O'Loan's report into detention and escorting of immigration detainees in March 2010, the UK Border Agency committed to meet all 21 recommendations for which it has responsibility within 12 months.
	Work on meeting the recommendations has been progressing well and the agency remains on track to deliver all the recommendations on time. Details of how they have been achieved will be shared with Baroness O'Loan once the work has been completed.

Asylum: Deportation

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations she has received on the treatment of people in custody by her Department's contractor for escort services to failed asylum seekers; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: On 12 November my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary received a letter signed by a number of organisations and individuals asking for an inquiry into the treatment of immigration detainees by private sector detention and escorting staff, the use of restraint, and complaints handling by the UK Border Agency
	I replied on behalf of the Home Secretary on 24 November explaining that Baroness Nuala O'Loan had considered these issues in her report of March 2010 into the work of detention and escorting staff. Her thorough and detailed investigation found no evidence to substantiate an allegation that detainees were subjected to systematic abuse. However, she made 21 recommendations for the UK Border Agency about the way it manages complaints, detention custody officers' training and oversight of their work. The UK Border Agency accepted all the recommendations and committed to implement them all within 12 months. It remains on track to meet this commitment.

Asylum: Deportation

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on no-notice removals for failed asylum-seeking families; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: Since the ruling in the High Court on 16 July, the UK Border Agency's policy is not to carry out 'no notice' removals. The agency's policy is to give at least 72 hours notice of removal. However, in exceptional circumstances where the removal could not be managed in any other way, a policy of giving a reduced period of notice has been used.

Departmental Written Questions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made of the number of questions to her Department tabled in the  (a) House of Commons and  (b) House of Lords that remained unanswered after 10 working days as a result of observation of guidance on the timing of answers to similar questions tabled to more than one Department in the latest period for which figures are available.

James Brokenshire: It is not possible to identify, using the data held in the Home Office system for managing written parliamentary questions, how many questions remained unanswered after 10 working days as a result of waiting for guidance of the type referred to in the question.
	In the case of questions that are deemed to be "round robin", the Guide to Parliamentary Work, published by the Leader of the House of Commons, and available at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/government-business/parliamentary-business.aspx
	states that Departments should not delay preparing an answer until "round robin" advice is provided, and should not miss the target deadlines for this reason. The Home Office endeavours to answer all questions-including those deemed "round robin"-within the appointed timescales.

Detention Centres: Females

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to end the detention of women in immigration removal centres.

Damian Green: Any foreign national, including women, may be detained under powers set out in the Immigration Act 1971 in the following circumstances: initially, whilst identity and basis of claim are established; where there are reasonable grounds for believing that the person concerned will not comply with the conditions of temporary admission or release; as part of a fast-track asylum process; or to effect removal from the UK. We have no plans to change this position.

Detention Centres: Medicine

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many months of medicine her Department provides to those diagnosed with HIV or AIDS at each immigration detention centre upon removal from the UK.

Damian Green: Responsibility for immigration removal centres falls to the UK Border Agency.
	Every detainee is seen by a nurse within two hours of arrival and is given an appointment to see a GP within 24 hours, unless an earlier appointment is required.
	The continuity of treatment for those detainees with HIV/AIDS remains, however, with the national health service and it is therefore a matter for the individual's consultant to determine the volume of medication provided upon removal. Each detainee is considered on a case by case basis.

Drugs: Misuse

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons she plans to propose the removal of the statutory requirement for scientists to be on the Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: This Government are committed to an evidence-based approach in the formulation of its drug policies. High quality scientific advice in this complex field is of the utmost importance. This is why we value the work and independent advice of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.
	The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill proposes to remove the requirement to appoint at least one person with experience in each of six specific areas to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. This is to allow the council greater flexibility in drawing on the expertise it requires, including scientific expertise, from its membership. This will enable it to better adapt to the fast moving challenges in the drugs landscape and ensure that it can draw on the most appropriate scientific expertise at any one time.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave during Home Office oral questions on 6 December 2010,  Official Report, column 20.

Entry Clearances: Entertainers

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the thousand work visas to be issued under Tier One of the revised immigration rules she expects to be issued to musicians, artists and performers.

Damian Green: We will announce details of how the new tier 1 category for exceptionally talented individuals will operate in due course.

Entry Clearances: Entertainers

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance she plans to issue to those assessing Tier One work visa applications on determining whether an applicant has exceptional talent and has achieved or is likely to achieve international renown.

Damian Green: We will announce further details of how the new tier 1 category for exceptionally talented individuals will operate in due course.

Entry Clearances: Entertainers

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effects of restrictions on Tier One immigration on musicians and other performers seeking to perform in the UK.

Damian Green: Musicians and other performers seeking to perform in one or more engagements in the UK currently apply through tier 5 or tier 2 of the points-based system and should continue to do so. The new tier 1 category is for exceptionally talented individuals who are intending to base themselves in the UK.

Immigration

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has made an assessment of the merits of increasing the number of points available in the points-based immigration system for holders of a PhD relative to holders of an MBA.

Damian Green: holding answer 3 December 2010
	My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced on 23 November 2010 the changes we will be making to economic migration routes from 1 April 2011. If demand exceeds the number of Certificates of Sponsorship available for monthly allocation within the limit for Tier 2 visas, we shall rank applications according to criteria which will give due weight and a degree of priority to research vacancies requiring a PhD.

Immigration

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions officials of her Department have had with officials of the Department for International Development on proposed changes to immigration and citizenship arrangements.

Damian Green: holding answer 3 December 2010
	In common with all relevant Departments, the Department for International Development is fully involved in the process of designing changes to the immigration system.

Immigration Controls

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the potential effects of the annual limit on non-EU immigration on the care sector.

Damian Green: holding answer 6 December 2010
	The Government carried out a full public consultation over the summer to ensure we took a wide range of views and evidence into account. We will publish an impact assessment on the changes we are making to economic migration routes.

Offensive Weapons: Advertising

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will bring forward legislative proposals to regulate the advertisement of knives and air weapons in free newspapers.

James Brokenshire: There are no current plans to legislate in this way.
	It is an offence to sell an air weapon or a knife to a person under 18. Under section 32 of the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006, a person who sells air weapons by way of trade or business must ensure that the final transfer of any weapon sold to a member of the public is done on a face-to-face basis.

SCOTLAND

Departmental Conferences

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what his Department's annual budget for conferences was at  (a) 7 May 2010 and  (b) 7 December 2010.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not have a separate conference budget.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Equal Pay

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what research she has commissioned on the gender pay gap since May 2010; and what steps she plans to take to close the gap.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government have not commissioned any new research on the gender pay gap since May 2010.
	The Government are committed to tackling the gender pay gap and are taking a range of measures to improve women's position in the labour market including making pay secrecy clauses unenforceable, extending positive action and the right to request flexible working, consulting on a new system of parental leave, and promoting gender equality on company boards including asking Lord Davies to fully investigate the issue.
	On 2 December, the Government also announced they were working with partners to develop a voluntary approach on gender pay reporting in the private and voluntary sector.

PRIME MINISTER

Chanukah

David Amess: To ask the Prime Minister if he will seek to publish in the  Official Report the text of his Chanukah message to the Jewish community; and if he will make a statement.

David Cameron: I am happy to publish the text of my Chanukah message in the  Official Report. It reads as follows:
	"I want to pass on my very best wishes to the Jewish community here and around the world for a happy and peaceful Chanukah. The story of Chanukah continues to be an inspiring message of the power of hope to sustain people through the toughest of times, and the strength that we can find when we come together and focus on building a brighter future. I wish you and your families a chanukah sameach."
	The message can also be found on the No. 10 website at:
	http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/latest-news/2010/12/pms-message-for-chanukah-57735

Drugs

John Mann: To ask the Prime Minister on which dates he has attended ministerial meetings on tackling drugs since 6 May 2010.

David Cameron: I have regular meetings with the Home Secretary, Ministers, Cabinet and Cabinet Committees.

Football: World Cup

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many people travelled with him to Zurich in connection with the FIFA World Cup vote on 2 December 2010; and what the cost to the public purse was of that travel;
	(2)  what the cost to the public purse was of his visit to Zurich in connection with the FIFA World Cup vote on 2 December 2010.

David Cameron: I travelled to Zurich on 30 November 2010 and again on 1 December to support the England 2018 team who worked around the clock to try to secure an England World Cup. As set out in the Ministerial Code, details of my overseas travel will be published at least quarterly.

Nuclear Power

Paul Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the oral evidence taken by the Liaison Committee on 18 November 2010, HC 608-i, Q 92, on what dates and at what locations he met representatives of EDF; what matters were discussed at each such meeting; which officials took part in each such meeting; and what the cost was to the public purse of each such meeting.

David Cameron: I met representatives of EDF on 12 October 2010. The meeting was held at No. 10.

Schools Sport Partnerships Scheme

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Prime Minister how many representations he has received from  (a) Olympic medal winners and  (b) athletes on his decision to reduce levels of funding for the Schools Sport Partnerships scheme; and who in his Department will be responsible for responding to such representations.

David Cameron: My office and the Department for Education have received a number of representations. I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bradford South (Mr Sutcliffe) on 1 December 2010,  Official Report, column 817, on the subject.

Special Representative for International Trade and Investment

Paul Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister what recent assessment he has made of the work of the UK's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment.

David Cameron: The UK's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment is making a hugely important contribution to the UK's relationship with trading partners around the world.

Written Questions

Ian Austin: To ask the Prime Minister whether he has set a target for answering written questions tabled for answer on a named day; and if he will make a statement.

David Cameron: My office aims to answer all named day written parliamentary questions on the day named.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Bus Services: Concessions

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations he has received from hon. Members on funding of the national concessionary bus fare scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: I have received a number of representations on the funding of the concessionary fares scheme from hon. Members. We will announce our proposals for the local government finance settlement for 2011-12 in the usual manner in due course.

EU Grants and Loans: North East

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether provisions exist to ensure that match-funding is in place for the North East England 2007-13 European Regional Development Framework Competitiveness Programme after March 2011.

Bob Neill: We expect that match funding will be available from a range of other public sector sources such as the regional growth fund, and the private sector.

EU Grants and Loans: North East

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the monetary value is of North East England 2007-13 European Regional Development Framework Competitiveness Programme funding that remains uncommitted.

Bob Neill: The allocation for the North East England 2007-13 European Regional Development Fund Competitiveness Programme is €375.7 million. The total amount that has been committed is €235.4 million. Therefore €140.3 million remains uncommitted.

Housing Benefit

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  whether his Department will use agreed market rents when determining what 80 per cent. of market rent is in a given area; and what sources his Department will use to determine those levels;
	(2)  whether there will be  (a) national,  (b) regional and  (c) local formulas for determining the rate at which affordable rents will be set.

Grant Shapps: I have today issued a statement in the House of Commons setting out details on the calculation of affordable rents.

Housing: South Lanarkshire

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  if he will estimate the number of vacant private rented homes with  (a) one bedroom and  (b) two bedrooms in (i) South Lanarkshire and (ii) Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency where the rental is in the bottom 30% of local market values;
	(2)  if he will estimate the number of vacant local authority tenanted homes with  (a) one bedroom and  (b) two bedrooms in (i) South Lanarkshire and (ii) Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the number of vacant housing association tenanted homes with  (a) one bedroom and  (b) two bedrooms in (i) South Lanarkshire and (ii) Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency;
	(4)  if he will estimate the number of tenants for each tenure type who are under-occupying their property in  (a) South Lanarkshire and  (b) Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency; and how many of these are in receipt of (i) housing benefit and (ii) local housing allowance;
	(5)  if he will estimate the number of multi-occupancy lets there are in each tenure type in  (a) South Lanarkshire and  (b) Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency.

Andrew Stunell: Data on number of bedrooms, under-occupancy and multi-occupancy at the constituency level are not available.

Local Government Finance

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons his Department decided that the majority of reductions in central Government contributions to local government should be made in the first two years of the spending review period.

Bob Neill: holding answer 3 December 2010
	The phasing of the savings to local government were laid out in the spending review, setting out the coalition Government's plans to secure economic stability and put Britain's public services on a sustainable long-term footing.
	Reducing the overall deficit is a necessary precondition for sustained economic growth. Failure to take action now would put the recovery at risk and place an unfair burden on future generations.
	Each part of the public sector needs to make its contribution to tackling the inherited fiscal deficit. Not reducing local government spending in such a way would require greater reductions to other areas of the public sector, adversely affecting other public services.
	Indeed, it should be noted that the last Government's plans for £52 billion of reductions to spending were front-loaded, with £14 billion of spending reductions planned in 2011-12.
	A full statement on the Local Government Finance Settlement will be made to the House shortly. However, I refer my hon. Friend to the Secretary of State's letter of 20 October 2010, a copy of which is in the Library of the House. It outlines new freedoms and flexibilities for local government, the scope for local innovation and transformational savings, the additional funding to support a council tax freeze next year, and the funding being provided to support social care and Supporting People.

Local Government: Billing

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on prompt payment of suppliers; and what assessment he has made of levels of compliance with this guidance.

Bob Neill: Prompt payment is an important issue, particularly to small and medium enterprises, where cash flow is critical for business survival. My own Department is a signatory to the Prompt Payment Code for this reason.
	I understand that, during 2009, the previous Government considered taking measures to encourage local authorities to sign up to the Prompt Payment Code. This did not happen as it was deemed an unfunded additional financial burden. Instead the then Secretary of State wrote to Margaret Eaton, Chairman of the Local Government Association to encourage local authorities to improve their already strong track record on payments to suppliers.

Regional Government

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the potential effects on households of his proposed reform of regional governance; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Clark: The Localism Bill will include proposals to abolish regional strategies and regional government. A full impact assessment for the Bill will be published. The abolition of regional government will strengthen local democracy and local accountability.

Working Neighbourhoods Fund: Newcastle upon Tyne

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding from the Working Neighbourhood Fund was granted to organisations and projects in Newcastle Upon Tyne Central constituency in 2009-10.

Bob Neill: The Working Neighbourhoods Fund is allocated to local authorities not constituencies. It is paid as part of the area-based grant to local authorities with high rates of worklessness, giving them the freedom and flexibility to use the funding in creative ways to support local priorities. Central Government do not monitor how a local authority spends their allocation.
	Newcastle Upon Tyne was awarded £10.6 million Working Neighbourhoods Fund in 2009-10.

Youth Services: Finance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will assess the merits of encouraging local authorities to protect the provision of youth centres when considering the implementation of reductions in their budgets; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: Department for Education have responsibility for the provision of funding for youth centres.
	Spending decisions are, and will continue to be, a matter for local authorities. We have a rich diversity of voluntary organisations, charities, faith groups, co-operatives, social enterprises and local housing trusts-all of who already make a huge contribution to local life. The Big Society means using their potential and involving them even more in delivering what people want. We do not expect local authorities to respond by passing on disproportionate cuts to other service providers, especially the voluntary sector.

Youth Services: Finance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what financial support is available to community groups that wish to take over the operation of youth centres that face closure as a result of reductions in local authority budgets; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: My Department plans to bring in a new community right as part of the Localism Bill that will give community groups new opportunities to help them to save local facilities, such as youth centres, that face closure. We plan to announce the detail of this right imminently.
	My Department already provides support, in the form of information, advice and expertise, through the Asset Transfer Unit to those who are looking to take on an asset from a local authority. The Unit is managed by the Development Trusts Association and currently funded by DCLG until 1 March 2011.
	Across Government, we are looking at ways to enable and encourage greater access to community finance. For example, plans for a new Big Society Bank will help to create an increased flow of finance for those community groups who need it.

Youth Services: Finance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the provision of youth centres by local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: Ministers across both Departments have regular discussions on issues of shared interest. Local people are best placed to make decisions about the provision of youth centres. Through the Localism Bill, we are setting out measures to create a more contestable and diverse market for publicly funded services. Department for Education funding for targeted support for young people will be administered to local areas through the Early Intervention Grant.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time in accident and emergency departments was in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: The following table sets out the mean and median time spent between arrival and departure in accident and emergency (A&E) departments in England in 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10. For 2009-10 the data are provisional. Data are not available for the period before 2007-08.
	
		
			  Minutes 
			   Mean duration to departure  Median duration to departure 
			 2007-08 130 112 
			 2008-09 136 117 
			 2009-10 (Provisional) 135 122 
			  Notes:  1.  Duration to departure The time (expressed as a whole number of minutes) between the patients arrival and the time the A&E attendance has concluded and the department is no longer responsible for the care of the patient.  2. The data exclude planned follow-up attendances.  3.  Provisional data (April 2009 to March 2010). The data are provisional and may be incomplete or contain errors for which no adjustments have yet been made. Counts produced from provisional data are likely to be lower than those generated for the same period in the final dataset. It is also probable that clinical data are not complete, which may in particular affect the last two months of any given period. There may also be errors due to coding inconsistencies that have not yet been investigated and corrected.  4.  A&E data quality Hospital episode statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by a number of NHS providers across England. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. The A&E HES publications addresses some of the key data quality and coverage issues. These are available on HESonline: www.hesonline.nhs.uk  Source: Accident and Emergency Hospital Episode Statistics (A&E HES); The NHS Information Centre for health and social care.

Blood: Contamination

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to complete his review of the recommendations of the Archer inquiry into the supply of contaminated blood in NHS facilities.

Anne Milton: I refer the hon. Member to my written ministerial statement given on 14 October 2010,  Official Report, column 30WS.

Dental Services

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of people able to receive treatment from an NHS dentist.

Simon Burns: Primary care trusts are currently responsible for commissioning sufficient primary care dentistry to meet local demand. Under the proposals set out in the White Paper "Equity and Excellence Liberating the NHS", the NHS Commissioning Board would, subject to the outcome of consultation and parliamentary approval, take on responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry and, if locally required, increasing those services to meet demand. We are committed to improving access to national health service dentistry, and will shortly announce our proposals for piloting reforms to the current dental contract.

Dental Services: Crewe

Edward Timpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the percentage of residents of the Crewe and Nantwich constituency that have access to an NHS dentist.

Simon Burns: Primary care trusts (PCTs) are currently responsible for commissioning sufficient primary care dentistry to meet local demand. Under the proposals set out in the White Paper "Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS", the NHS Commissioning Board would, subject to the outcome of consultation and parliamentary approval, take on responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry and, if locally required, increasing those services to meet demand. Accordingly, the Secretary of State for Health has not made an estimate of the percentage of residents of the Crewe and Nantwich constituency that have access to a national health service dentist.
	Under the current dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006, patients do not have to be registered with an NHS dentist to receive NHS care. The closest equivalent measure to 'registration' is the number of patients receiving NHS dental services ("patients seen") over a 24 month period. However, this is not directly comparable to the registration data for earlier years.
	Information on the number of patients seen in the previous 24 months as a percentage of the population, in England, is available in "Table D2 of Annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England-2010/11", first quarterly report. Information is available at quarterly intervals, from 31 March 2006 to 30 September 2010, and is provided by primary care trust and by strategic health authority but is not available by parliamentary constituency.
	This report, published on 24 November 2010, has already been placed in the Library and is also available on the NHS Information Centre for health and social care website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalstats1011q1

Departmental Billing

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department follows on the prompt payment of suppliers.

Simon Burns: Budget 2010 announced that all central Government Departments are required to aim to pay 80% of all undisputed invoices within five days.

EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many EU directives are pending transposition into domestic legislation by his Department; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such transposition.

Simon Burns: There is one directive currently pending transition into domestic legislation which is Directive 2010/53/EU which sets minimum standards across the European Union for the quality and safety of organs intended for transplantation. It entered into force in August 2010 and national governments have two years to transpose it into national legislation. The directive requires EU member states to set up a competent authority or authorities responsible for maintaining quality and safety standards for organs intended for transplantation.
	Implementation is likely to involve some costs-for example, the establishment of a competent authority; establishment of a new authorisation system (including the compliance costs of those required to register); and introduction of a formal reporting system for serious adverse events and reactions. The estimates of these costs vary considerably depending on the regulatory model used across the whole of the United Kingdom, but may be between £0.5 million and £2 million per annum.

Eyesight: Testing

Edward Timpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people in Crewe and Nantwich constituency eligible for a free eye test.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Health has not made an estimate of the number of people in Crewe and Nantwich constituency eligible for a free eye test.
	However, free sight tests are available under the national health service to many people, including people aged 60 and over, children under 16, those aged 16 to 18 in full-time education, people on benefits, those people at particular risk of developing eye disease, and people who are registered blind or partially sighted or who have a complex spectacle prescription.
	The number of NHS sight tests, by patient eligibility, in England in 2009-10 is available in Table B1 of Annex B of the 'General Ophthalmic Services: Activity Statistics for England and Wales, Year Ending 31 March 2010' report. Information is provided by primary care trust and by strategic health authority but is not available by parliamentary constituency.
	This report, published on 13 July 2010, has been placed in the Library and is also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/gosactivity0910
	It should be noted that figures relate to actual numbers of sight tests and not individuals.

Family Nurse Partnership Programme

Edward Timpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the outcomes of the Family Nurse Partnership programme; and what plans he has for the future of the service.

Anne Milton: We are evaluating the Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) programme in England through a formative evaluation of implementation in the first 10 sites, conducted by Birkbeck college, university of London; and a randomised controlled trial (RCT) in 18 sites, led by the South East Wales Trials Unit at the School of Medicine, Cardiff university. The RCT will test the impact of FNP compared with other services on pregnancy and birth outcomes, on child health and development and on parental life course; and it will also assess costs, through an economic evaluation. This is due to report in 2013.
	Reports of findings from the first two years of the Birkbeck evaluation were published in 2008 and 2009. This early evidence is promising, suggesting that the programme can be delivered well in England, that take up is also good amongst the most disadvantaged, teenage parents, including fathers, who we know often distrust services, with 87% of mothers who are offered FNP enrolling on it. In addition, mothers are reducing smoking in pregnancy, a high proportion are initiating breastfeeding, mothers are coping better with pregnancy, labour and parenthood and are more confident as parents. A report of the toddlerhood phase of FNP will be published shortly, and a full report of all three years will be published by spring 2011.
	In addition, over 30 years of United States research suggests positive outcomes in the short, medium and long-term for both mothers and children, together with substantial cost savings.
	On the basis of this learning the Government have committed to double the number of families receiving the Family Nurse Partnership programme by 2015. Over 6,000 families have benefitted from FNP to date.

Food Standards Agency

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the incorporation into his Department of the nutrition functions of the Food Standards Agency.

Anne Milton: The estimated cost of incorporating the nutrition functions of the Food Standards Agency into the Department of Health is approximately £171,000.

Hospitals: Children

Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to support the development and schooling of children who are patients in paediatric wards; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: Children in hospital should continue to have access to as much schooling as their medical condition allows, so that they are able to maintain the momentum of their education, and in order to address their developmental needs. Education is provided in a number of ways, including the provision of a hospital school or hospital teaching service. The precise nature of educational provision in hospital is a matter for local arrangement, dependant on demand and the individual needs of the children.

Hospitals: Standards

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the variation in the outcomes of his Department's assessment and the Dr Foster Hospital Guide 2010 in respect of each hospital trust.

Simon Burns: Care Quality Commission (CQC) ensure that essential standards of safety and quality are being met by all providers. Monitor regulate foundation trusts to ensure that they meet all statutory and contract actual requirements. All hospitals, including those mentioned in the Dr Foster Hospital Guide 2010, have been registered by the CQC, details of which can be found on the Commission's website at:
	http://caredirectory.cqc.org.uk/caredirectory/searchthecaredirectory.cfm
	CQC routinely uses information like Dr Foster the Hospital Guide to identify where there are risks that hospital care is not meeting essential standards.

Mental Illness

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many of the individuals allocated a personal budget in  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10 had mental health needs;
	(2)  how many direct payment users have mental health needs;
	(3)  how many people allocated individual budgets in  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10 had mental health needs.

Paul Burstow: On 31 March 2009 in England, 900 adults aged 18-64 with mental health needs were allocated a personal budget.
	The NHS Information Centre for health and social care collects and publishes information on the number of people receiving personal budgets and direct payments from councils with adult social services responsibilities. The most recent England level information relates to 2008-09. Final data from 2009-10 are expected to be published in 2011.
	Data were not collected on the number of personal budgets allocated in financial year 2008-09; these data were collected for 2009-10, but have not yet been published. In 2008-09, the count of people, aged 18 to 64, receiving a personal budget on 31 March 2009 whose primary care need was mental health was collected. Data for other age groups were not collected by primary care need in 2008-09.
	On 31 March 2009 in England there were 7,000 direct payment users with mental health needs. Of these 4,600 were aged 18-64, 800 were aged 65-74 and 1,700 were aged 75 and over. It should be noted that figures may not add up due to rounding.
	The NHS Information Centre does not collect information on the number of individual budgets. The terms individual budget and personal budget were used synonymously during the pilot stage of the personalisation project for social care in 2007-08. However, 'personal budget' is the term now being used to cover direct (cash) payments (held by the individual) and personal budgets (managed by the council on the individual's behalf), and these relate to social care funding only.
	Individual budgets is now the term used for a notional amount of funding from a variety of public funds which may include social care funding.
	64 pilots involving 3,000 people are currently under way to inform the roll out of personal healthcare budgets with an aim to make it possible to combine health and care personal budgets in the future.

NHS: Business Interests

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether  (a) Bassetlaw Primary Care Trust and  (b) Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals Trust awarded contracts to companies in respect of which non-executive members of the trust registered an interest in (i) 2009 and (ii) 2010.

Simon Burns: This information is not held centrally. The information requested may be available directly from Bassetlaw primary care trust and Doncaster and Bassetlaw hospitals NHS foundation trust.

Palliative Care: Prisoners

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what palliative care provision there is for prisoners in the North West.

Paul Burstow: Since April 2006, commissioning responsibility for prison health services has been fully devolved to the national health service. Palliative care for prisoners is therefore provided according to both local circumstance and the needs of the individual prisoner. Local health services work with the prison to provide care based on NHS models of best practice following a thorough risk assessment. This may involve the prisoner being returned to the community during the last months of their life or being cared for through local adaptions to the prison environment. The response will vary according to security issues and the wishes of the prisoner.
	Prison Service Order 3050 sets out the policy for prisoners who require end of life care. A copy has been placed in the Library. The Department and the National Offender Management Service shortly expect to publish guidance for managing end of life for prisons, based on current best practice in both the community and prison environment.

Primary Care Trusts

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals for the abolition of primary care trusts.

Simon Burns: The Government will publish the consultation on the implementation of the White Paper, "Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS" this month. This will contain further detail about the provisions to be included in the Health and Social Care Bill, including the abolition of primary care trusts. The Bill itself will follow in the new year.

Prostate Cancer: Health Education

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what strategy his Department has to raise awareness of prostate cancer.

Paul Burstow: Through the Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme (PCRMP) the Department works to raise awareness of prostate cancer in men. The PCRMP ensures that men without symptoms can have a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test free on the national health service if they request one. PRCMP information packs have been provided to all general practitioners (GPs) in England, and the packs include patient information sheets for GPs to give to men who are considering having a PSA test. Clinicians should give men access to PSA tests, if requested, in accordance with the PCRMP.
	With health professionals, patient groups and the voluntary sector, the Department has developed key messages for a number of cancers, including prostate cancer. These are available on the NHS Choices website. The Department encourages charities and other stakeholders to use them widely in awareness raising activities.
	Through the National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative (NAEDI) the Department and the Football Foundation jointly funded the Ahead of the Game programme. Ahead of the Game is a pilot programme, which uses the appeal of football to raise awareness of lung, bowel and prostate cancers in men aged 55 and over.
	The Cancer Reform Strategy Review, currently under way, is examining how best to promote awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer and encourage people to go to their GP if they experience persistent symptoms.

Smoking: Health Services

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding his Department allocated to NHS smoking cessation services in the period  (a) 2007-10 and  (b) 2010-13.

Anne Milton: Funding for national health service smoking cessation services is included in primary care trust (PCT) allocations. The allocations are not broken down by policy area, however, the Department sets out the priorities for NHS delivery in the Operating Framework that is published each year.
	According to statistics published by the NHS Information Centre, total expenditure by the NHS on stop smoking services was:
	(a) April 2007 to March 2008: approximately £61 million
	(b) April 2008 to March 2009: approximately £74 million
	(c) April 2009 to March 2010: approximately £83.9 million.
	These figures do not include expenditure by the NHS on prescribed stop smoking medicines.
	The NHS Information Centre data on NHS Stop Smoking Services are available online at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/health-and-lifestyles/nhs-stop-smoking-services
	PCTs have been informed of their revenue allocations up to 2010-11. Revenue allocations post 2010-11 will be announced later this year.

Strokes: Nottinghamshire and Sheffield

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions thrombolysis treatment has been used to treat stroke patients in  (a) Bassetlaw,  (b) Sheffield,  (c) Nottingham and  (d) Sheffield hospitals in the last 12 months.

Simon Burns: The information requested is not held centrally. This information may be available directly from the national health service organisations concerned.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Support Agency

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Child Support Agency operates target response times for correspondence from hon. Members' offices.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Child Support Agency operates target response times for correspondence from hon. Members' offices.
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission has a target of responding to 95% of correspondence received from Members of Parliament within 20 working days.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Child Support Agency: Correspondence

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how long on average it took for the Child Support Agency to respond to contact by  (a) telephone,  (b) post and  (c) e-mail in the latest period for which figures are available.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how long on average it took for the Child Support Agency to respond when contacted by (a) telephone (b) post and (c) e-mail in the latest period for which figures are available.
	Information on how long on average it took the Child Support Agency to respond when contacted by (a) telephone (b) post and (c) e-mail is not available as all general enquiries are not recorded for management information purposes.
	The Child Support Agency has a published Client Charter that states the aim to answer telephone calls within one minute and reply to letters and either resolve complaints, or agree next steps, within three weeks of receiving them.
	Telephony performance is recorded and the latest available telephony figures show that in the year to September 2010, 99.5% of calls available to staff were answered, with the calls answered from a queue in an average of 9 seconds.
	In the same time period, 98.4% of calls were answered within 60 seconds and 96.8% were answered within 30 seconds.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Disability Living Allowance: Scotland

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the  (a) effects on and  (b) cost to local authorities in Scotland of the removal of the mobility component of the disability living allowance from residents in publicly-funded care homes.

Maria Miller: Social care is a devolved matter. The Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 places a duty on local authorities to assess the social care needs of the people in their area and to provide care to meet these needs. Local authorities also have a responsibility to make the best use of available resources.
	We estimate that approximately 80,000 people in Great Britain who claim disability living allowance and live in residential care will be affected by the measure to cease paying the mobility component from October 2012.

Employment and Support Allowance

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of contributory employment and support allowance recipients who will become entitled to income-related employment and support allowance after the implementation of the proposals in the comprehensive spending review;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the effects on the level of the employment and support allowance (ESA) caseload of placing time limits on contributory ESA.

Maria Miller: There are a number of variables which will impact the number of people affected by the proposal to time limit contributory ESA to one year for those in the work related activity group, including the reassessment of incapacity benefit cases, people moving into work and people being able to qualify for income-related benefits after the 12-month limit for the contributory benefit is reached.
	Current estimates suggest around 700,000 people will have been affected by the proposal to time limit contributory ESA by 2015-16, of which it is expected that around 60% will be fully or partially compensated by income-related ESA. There will always be a safety net to support those who have no means of supporting themselves.
	The estimates are subject to change as more information on customers in the work related activity group becomes available.

Housing Benefit

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will assess the merits of giving local authorities greater flexibility in how they correspond with claimants of housing benefit and council tax benefit when contacting them by letter for the purposes of ensuring that the benefit entitlement is clearly communicated.

Steve Webb: The housing benefit and council tax benefit regulations prescribe key elements that must be included in the decision notifications that local authorities send to claimants when informing them about their benefit entitlement. Claimants need this information so that they can work out how their benefit awards have been calculated and confirm that their circumstances have correctly been taken into account. There are no current plans to amend the regulations, but we keep this under review and will continue to consider feedback from local authorities, claimants and representative organisations.
	Although certain information must be included in decision notifications, local authorities have the discretion to decide how best to present it, and to design letters that communicate as clearly as possible what the claimant needs to know. To help with this, officials in my Department have been working with representatives of several local authorities to explore ways of making decision notifications easier to understand.

Housing Benefit: Greater London

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has made an assessment of the likely effects of reductions in levels of housing benefit on homelessness levels in  (a) West Ham constituency,  (b) the London borough of Newham and  (c) London in each of the next five years.

Steve Webb: The information required to carry out this assessment is not available. We published an impact assessment on 30 November for the changes to local housing allowance rates from April 2011. The assessment does not contain an estimate of the impact on homelessness as we cannot anticipate the behaviours of tenants or their landlords. To reduce the risk of households becoming homeless we have a substantial package of financial and practical support in place and we are giving households up to nine months transitional protection so that they can look for alternative accommodation if they need to. The impact assessment is available on the Department for Work and Pensions website.
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/lha-impact-nov10.pdf

Jobseeker's Allowance

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in  (a) the UK,  (b) the South East,  (c) Oxfordshire and  (d) Oxford West and Abingdon constituency have been in receipt of jobseeker's allowance since January 2010.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people in (a) the UK, (b) the South East (c) Oxfordshire and (d) Oxford West and Abingdon constituency have been in receipt of jobseeker's allowance since January 2010. (21053)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles the number of claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) from the Jobcentre Plus administrative system.
	Table 1 shows the number of people resident in (a) the UK, (b) the South East (c) Oxfordshire and (d) Oxford West and Abingdon constituency who were in receipt of JSA in each month since January 2010. The data have been provided from January 2010 to the latest available period up to October 2010.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of persons claiming jobseeker's allowance residing in the UK, the South East, Oxfordshire and Oxford West and Abingdon constituency 
			   UK  South East  Oxfordshire  Oxford West and Abingdon 
			  2010 
			 January 1,654.025 162,595 9,156 1,258 
			 February 1,657,041 161,432 8,819 1,210 
			 March 1,614,852 156,288 8,584 1,163 
			 April 1,568,128 151,906 8,749 1,217 
			 May 1,502,155 142,362 7,780 1,070 
			 June 1,444,096 134,135 7,360 1,038 
			 July 1,441,035 132,042 7,430 1,065 
			 August 1,456,023 132,198 7,518 1,050 
			 September 1,439,601 130,442 7,493 1,027 
			 October 1,416.785 127,424 7,358 1,010 
			  Source:  Jobcentre Plus administrative system.

Members: Correspondence

Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the Minister for Housing plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Hastings and Rye of 25 October 2010 reference AR/BW/0008, on housing benefit.

Chris Grayling: A reply was sent to my hon. Friend on 10 November 2010.

National Employment Savings Trust Scheme

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consideration he has given to establishing a mechanism to prevent a conflict of interest arising for potential asset managers bidding in the National Employment Savings Trust tendering process.

Steve Webb: The procurement of the investment managers for the initial set of investment mandates has been outsourced to investment advisers, following a mini-competition under NEST Corporation's investment adviser framework. The investment advisers will evaluate all bids received strictly in accordance with objective based evaluation criteria that reflect NEST Corporation requirements.
	NEST Corporation policy is that all staff involved in the evaluation of tenders are required to sign a statement in which they declare any conflicts of interest. In the event that a conflict arises consideration is given whether that person should withdraw from the evaluation process.
	NEST Corporation will review the recommendations made by the Investment advisers and the basis upon which they have reached those recommendations.
	The criteria used for the evaluation of the tender responses is agreed in advance of the tenders being received. No external factors that are not pertinent to the responses will be taken into account.

New Businesses: Bradford

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 2 December 2010,  Official Report, column 1005W, on new businesses: Bradford, what plans he has for  (a) funding,  (b) eligibility and  (c) delivery of the new enterprise allowance.

Chris Grayling: The information is as follows:
	 (a) Funding for the new enterprise allowance for the years 2010-11 and 2011-12 has been agreed with HMT on the basis that it will give up to 10,000 unemployed people per year access to the advice and support they need to start their own business.
	 (b) The new enterprise allowance will be open to jobseeker's allowance customers in the targeted areas who have been claiming jobseeker's allowance for more than six months and have not joined the Work Programme. The new enterprise allowance will be targeted on the areas in Great Britain that are likely to benefit most from an increase in the share of private sector employment. Details of the target areas have been published on the Department's website:
	www.dwp.gov.uk/policy/welfare-reform/get-britain-working/
	 (c) Delivery options have yet to be finalised and agreed, but we envisage a role for Jobcentre Plus working alongside the voluntary and enterprise sectors to create new partnerships to build a network of mentors and ensure unemployed people can get the business support they need. We intend to trailblaze some elements of the new enterprise allowance starting in Merseyside from the end of January 2011, before rolling out the full new enterprise allowance in the remaining targeted areas from April 2011.

New Enterprise Allowance

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which areas will participate in the New Enterprise Allowance pilots; and when these pilots will begin.

Chris Grayling: The New Enterprise Allowance will be targeted on areas in Great Britain that are likely to benefit most from an increase in the share of private sector employment. We intend to trail blaze elements of the New Enterprise Allowance starting in Merseyside from the end of January 2011, before rolling out the full New Enterprise Allowance in the remaining targeted areas from April 2011. Details of the target areas have been published on the Department's website:
	www.dwp.gov.uk/policy/welfare-reform/get-britain-working/

New Enterprise Allowance

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what mechanism he plans to establish to assess applications for New Enterprise Allowance payments.

Chris Grayling: The process for assessing applications for the New Enterprise Allowance has yet to be finalised and agreed. We are developing a process that will ensure that customers who have a viable, sustainable business proposition with growth potential get the business support they need to succeed.

New Enterprise Allowance

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the average monetary value of all payments under the New Enterprise Allowance for a recipient.

Chris Grayling: Each customer can get access to financial support of around £2,000. This consists of a weekly allowance worth up to £1,275 over a six month period, allowing a customer to establish their business and its cash flow. In addition, where a customer needs start-up capital they may access a loan of up to £1,000 to help them with start-up costs such as buying their initial equipment.

New Enterprise Allowance

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many new businesses he expects to be established as a result of support from the New Enterprise Allowance by  (a) April 2011,  (b) October 2011,  (c) January 2012 and  (d) April 2012.

Chris Grayling: Through the New Enterprise Allowance in 2011-12, we want to give up to 10,000 unemployed people access to the advice and support they need to start their own business, with scope to go further in future years.

Older People: Employment

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged 50 years and over moved off benefits and into work in the last 12 months.

Chris Grayling: Jobseeker's allowance is the only benefit that has reliable information on whether claimants flowing off have entered employment. However, even for JSA the information is incomplete as individuals are not required to provide a reason for leaving the benefit and a significant minority choose not to complete the exit form that asks for this information.
	The number of people aged 50 and over known to have moved off JSA and into work in the last 12 months is 227,000 (44% of all off-flows from this age group). However, a further 196,000 JSA leavers (38% of all off-flows aged 50 years and over) were categorised as: ceased claiming; failed to sign; or information about them is unknown. This indicates that the number of people aged 50 and over moving off JSA and into work is likely to be significantly higher than is officially recorded.

Pensioners: Poverty

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of pensioners aged  (a) between 60 and 65,  (b) between 65 and 70,  (c) between 70 and 75,  (d) between 75 and 80 and  (e) 80 years or above live in relative poverty; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: Estimates of pensioner poverty are published in the Households Below Average Income series. The most commonly used measure of pensioner poverty relates to those people with incomes below 60% of contemporary median income, after housing costs. This is often referred to as relative poverty.
	The latest Households Below Average Income publication was based on Family Resources Survey data from 2008-09. The percentage of pensioners in relative poverty, split by age group, is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Age group  Percentage with income below 60% of contemporary median (relative poverty) 
			 60-64 16 
			 65-69 15 
			 70-74 14 
			 75-79 16 
			 80 and above 19 
			 All pensioners 16 
			  Notes: 1. These statistics are based on the Households Below Average Income series, sourced from the Family Resources Survey. 2. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 3. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication "Households Below Average Income" (HBAI) series, which uses disposable household income, adjusted (or 'equivalised') for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 4. For the Households Below Average Income series, incomes have been equivalised using Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) modified equivalisation factors. 5. Proportions of pensioners in low-income households have been rounded to the nearest whole percentage point.

Social Security Benefits

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to simplify the application procedures for state benefits; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: We are creating a new universal credit which will replace working tax credit, child tax credit, housing benefit, income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance and income-related employment and support allowance. By using the best data technology available we will streamline the administration and claiming process, making it easier for people to see that they are better off for every pound they earn and minimise opportunities for fraud and error.

Unemployment: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of workless households in (a) Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency,  (b) Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk constituency and  (c) Scotland.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated December 2010:
	.
	The figures requested come from the Annual Population Survey household datasets, the attached table provides estimates for 2009. A workless household is defined as a household that contains at least one person aged 16 to 64 and where all individuals aged 16 and over are not in employment.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty as different samples give different results. These estimates are such that from all samples possible there would be 95 per cent certainty that the true estimate would lie within the lower and upper bounds given.
	
		
			  Table 1: Workless households( 1)  in Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Berwickshire Roxburgh and Selkirk and Scotland, 2009 
			  Thousand 
			  January-December 2009  Estimate  Lower bound( 2)  Upper bound( 2) 
			 Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency 10 8 12 
			 Berwickshire Roxburgh and Selkirk constituency 6 5 7 
			 Scotland 369 355 384 
			 (1) Households containing at least one person aged 16-64, where all individuals aged 16 or over are not in employment. (2) 95% confidence interval which means that from all samples possible there would be 95% certainty that the true estimate would lie within the lower and upper bounds.  Source: APS household dataset

Unemployment: Young People

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to reduce the weekly cost of youth unemployment.

Chris Grayling: The Government recognise that to reduce the weekly cost of youth unemployment, we need to help young people into work. We are focusing on supporting young people into private sector employment. We are tackling the deficit to restore growth in the economy and create jobs that young people who are job ready can access.
	Next year we are introducing a Work Programme which young people will access and which will respond to the personalised needs of each individual. In addition we are making Jobcentre Plus more flexible to help young people to find the right support to make the transition into work.
	Where lack of work experience is a barrier for young people we are providing flexible job search support through Jobcentre Plus, creating work experience opportunities, encouraging volunteering for all unemployed people and investing in training and apprenticeships.

Unemployment: Young People

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of 16 to 24-year-olds out of work for more than 12 months.

Chris Grayling: The Government are committed to tackling youth unemployment. We aim to have the new Work Programme in place nationally by the summer of 2011. This will offer integrated employment support to young people helping them move into sustained employment rather than temporary jobs. Young people aged 18-24 will be referred to the Work Programme from nine months. Prior to the Work Programme we will be giving Jobcentre Plus advisers more flexibility to work with young people to make the transition into employment. This journey might include, for example, work experience, pre-apprenticeship training, an apprenticeship, a further education course or other training.
	Until the Work Programme is introduced, young people will continue to have access to the existing range of services. Young unemployed people registering with Jobcentre Plus have access to a named personal adviser from the first day of their claim. The personal adviser works with them to create a personalised back-to-work plan. This support will continue throughout the jobseeker's spell of unemployment, as will access to the existing range of opportunities, support and advice to help them find employment.
	In order to reduce the number of younger, 16 to 18-year-olds becoming long-term unemployed the Government want to ensure that the next generation of school leavers are equipped for the future, raising attainment for all children and closing the gap between the richest and poorest. We are considering how best to provide access for young people to high quality careers education which will help them navigate the complex choices on offer to them about learning, careers and wider lifestyle options.

Universal Credit

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people who will face  (a) higher and  (b) lower marginal deduction rates following full implementation of the universal credit according to the modelling used as the basis for his White Paper.

Chris Grayling: Following full implementation of universal credit, marginal deduction rates will reduce for around 1.5 million workers in total, with the average (median) reduction in marginal deduction rate being 20 percentage points. Included in this total, universal credit will particularly improve earnings incentives for 700,000 low-earning workers, reducing the highest marginal deduction rates from 95.8% to around 76%.
	Some households will see their marginal deduction rates increase under universal credit. For example, households previously receiving tax credits only will see a small increase in their marginal deduction rate from 73% to around 76%. In addition, because universal credit allows low-earning households to keep more of their earnings, some households who previously received no state support will now do so. As a consequence they will experience a higher marginal deduction rate than they otherwise would have done but they will be better off financially.
	Marginal deduction rates will increase for around 2 million workers in total following full implementation of universal credit. However, the average (median) increase will only be 4 percentage points.

Winter Fuel Payments: Crewe and Nantwich

Edward Timpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Crewe and Nantwich constituency received the winter fuel allowance in the latest period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: The information is available in the document "Winter Fuel Payment recipients 2009-2010 by Parliamentary Constituencies and Gender" (2010 boundaries). This is available in the Commons Library and on the internet at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?paqe=wfp

Winter Fuel Payments: Kilmarnock

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged  (a) 60 to 65,  (b) 65 to 70,  (c) 70 to 80 and  (d) over 80 years were paid the winter fuel allowance in Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency in each year since 2005.

Steve Webb: The information is in the table.
	
		
			  Winter fuel payment recipients in Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency: Time series by age group 
			   2009-10  2008-09  2007-08  2006-07  2005-06 
			 Number 20,530 20,040 19,570 18,940 18,720 
			  Aged:  
			 Under 60 40 30 40 20 - 
			 60 to 64 5,730 5,550 5,370 4,900 - 
			 65 to 69 4,520 4,420 4,310 4,340 - 
			 70 to 79 6,800 6,680 6,570 6,420 - 
			 80 and over 3,430 3,370 3,290 3,260 - 
			  Notes:  1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and therefore totals may not sum.  2. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2005.  3. DWP are currently working to produce 2009-10 WFP figures for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010.  4. The 'under 60' category contains cases where an IS/JSA claimant receives a payment on behalf of their partner who is aged 60 or over.  5. The age breakdown for 2005-06 winter fuel payments shows a larger than expected number of recipients aged under 60 compared with subsequent years. The age breakdown has been withdrawn while the figures are investigated.   Source:  DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data.

TRANSPORT

BRB (Residuary) Ltd.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the procedure will be for the disposal of the assets of BRB (Residuary) Ltd.

Theresa Villiers: BRB (Residuary) Ltd disposes of its surplus land assets in accordance with guidance issued by the Department for Transport in July 2007. This guidance is available on the company's website at:
	www.brbr.co.uk
	The consultation process set out in that guidance has now been completed. However, some properties continue to be held by the company pending decisions on their future use and ownership by the Department.

First Great Western: Electrification

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what work his Department carried out on its plans for electrification of the Great Western main line between London and Swansea in the period  (a) 23 July 2009 to 11 May 2010 and  (b) 12 May 2010 to 24 November 2010.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 30 November 2010
	 The Department for Transport has been considering electrification of the Great Western Line as part of its work on delivering new rolling stock and assessing the future of the Intercity Express Programme. This work has been on-going throughout both periods.

Football: South Africa

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent on entertainment activities related to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has no records of any expenditure for entertainment activities related to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
	Full details of Department for Transport Ministers and senior officials' business expenses, including hospitality and gifts can be found on the DFT website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/about/transparency/

Fuels: Prices

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if his Department will bring forward proposals to limit petrol and diesel price rises in the UK.

Justine Greening: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Richmond Park (Zac Goldsmith) on 1 November 2010,  Official Report, column 665W.

Gospel Oak Railway Line: Electrification

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions his Department has had with the Mayor of London on electrification of the Barking to Gospel Oak railway line.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport has not had any recent discussions with the Mayor of London on electrification of the line between Gospel Oak and Barking.

Lower Thames Crossing

Stephen Metcalfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has to consult local residents on a new Lower Thames Crossing; when he expects such consultation to take place; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: The Department for Transport made clear in its spending review announcement that it would embark on a review of the options for future capacity in the Lower Thames.
	Following that review, which is expected to take around 12 to 18 months to complete, the Department's intention, as part of the statutory process, would be to publicly consult on the merits of the potential options. The timing of such consultation has yet to be determined.

M25

Stephen Metcalfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what plans his Department has to improve junctions 30 and 31 of the M25; what recent representations he has received on the junctions; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what plans his Department has to improve the road network in South Essex; what recent representations he has received on that part of the road network; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what plans his Department has to improve the A13 between Stanford-le-Hope and junctions 30 and 31 of the M25; what recent representations he has received on that part of the road network; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: The Secretary of State's statement of 26 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 177-79, "Investment in Highways and Local Transport Schemes", identified the M25 junction 30/A13 corridor scheme as one which the Highways Agency would continue to develop for a potential start of construction in future spending review periods.
	I would also refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 11 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 54-55W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Thurrock (Jackie Doyle-Price) about the M25 Junction 30 scheme.

M25: Closures

Stephen Metcalfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the financial effects on the economy of closures of the M25.

Michael Penning: The total economic impact of traffic delay is measured by the Department's transport appraisal tool QUADRO, which costs this at £11.28 per vehicle hour delay (based on 2002 prices). However, we do not estimate the specific costs of each individual road closure due to the complexity of the assessment required, for example, the mix of trip purposes, vehicle types and number of occupants in each vehicle.
	The financial effects to the economy would very much depend on the day, time of day and the number of vehicles affected, as well as the effectiveness of diversion routes.

Motorways: Accidents

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many collisions involving a motor vehicle there have been on the A1 at Elkesley in 2010 to date.

Michael Penning: There have been six reported collisions involving motor vehicles on the A1 near Elkesley (within 0.62 miles of the village centre in both directions) between the 1 January 2010 and 30 June 2010. This is the latest information available.

Public Transport: Fares

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department holds for benchmarking purposes on  (a) bus and  (b) light rail and underground fares in cities (i) in the UK and (ii) overseas.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport does not hold any information for the purpose of benchmarking bus, light rail or underground fares, either for UK or overseas cities.
	However, the Department publishes fares indices for local bus services. This does not measure fare levels, but does show the relative rates of change since 1995 in local bus fares in London, English metropolitan areas, English non-metropolitan areas, Scotland and Wales. Latest published statistics are available at:
	www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/public/bus/costs/bus0405.xls

Public Transport: Public Consultation

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department takes to include reduced-fare users in consultations on the future of public transport services.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport works to ensure that everybody who has an interest is able to express their views in its consultation exercises. Reasonable adjustments are made where necessary and consultation documents are available in alternative formats.
	Equality impact assessments are carried out for all new transport proposals, to take account of the needs of different groups. This includes disabled and older people who are eligible for travel concessions.

Railways: Electrification

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether a rail service between Preston and Manchester via Chorley and Bolton will be maintained following electrification of the Manchester to Newton-le-Willows line.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 8 December 2010
	The Government have no plans to cease operation of services over the route between Preston and Manchester via Chorley and Bolton following completion of electrification of the Manchester to Newton-le-Willows line.

Railways: Franchises

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make standard off-peak travel times a requirement for new rail franchisees.

Theresa Villiers: There are no plans to standardise off-peak travel times for new rail franchisees.

Railways: Passengers

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward proposals to ensure that rail passengers are entitled to a seat in return for the fare paid; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: The National Conditions of Carriage set out the obligations on train operators in relation to the fare that has been paid.
	We have not carried out an assessment of the cost and value for money of a requirement that all passengers should gain a seat on any train, at any time. However, the cost would be large given the significant additional rolling stock and infrastructure changes that would be required to meet such a commitment, especially on routes within Metropolitan areas such as London.
	The rail industry planning standard is that for all journeys of more than 20 minutes passengers should gain a seat.
	The Government remain committed to increasing the carrying capacity of the rail network. We recently confirmed that major infrastructure schemes such as Crossrail and Thameslink would be constructed and that some 2,100 additional carriages would be in service on the network by 2019.
	By spring 2011 we expect some 153 more carriages to be operating on the First Capital Connect franchise than the level seen in 2009.

Railways: Repairs and Maintenance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much and what proportion of the £90 million allocated to improving rail platforms in the 2010 spending review will be spent in  (a) Coventry,  (b) the West Midlands and  (c) the South East.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 6 December 2010
	The detailed allocation of funding for platform improvements is a matter for Network Rail, which is funded to deliver a programme of capacity enhancements. However, the nature of these improvements will depend on the train service changes put forward by the train operating companies to deliver the additional passenger capacity that the Government wish to provide.

Railways: Subsidies

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department provided in public subsidy to each train operating company in  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09 and  (c) 2009-10; and how many passengers were carried by each such company in each such year.

Theresa Villiers: The Office of Rail Regulation publishes actual subsidy payments and information on passenger journeys in its National Rail Trends document. This information for 2007-08, 2008-09, and 2009-10 can be found on the Office of Rail Regulation website as follows:
	http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/375.pdf
	http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/YEARBOOK0809-v22.pdf
	http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/nrt-yearbook-2009-10.pdf
	In addition, copies are available in the Libraries of the House.

Road Traffic: Black Cat

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what bids for funding have been made to improve traffic flow at the Black Cat roundabout on the A1 in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Michael Penning: During the last five years there has been one bid for funding in 2011-12 to improve traffic flow at the Black Cat roundabout.
	The bid was for £200,000 to enable detailed design of an improvement scheme.
	The process for allocating funding for future years is ongoing.

Road Traffic: Newark

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what bids for funding have been made to improve traffic flows on the A1 south of Newark in the last five years for which figures are available; and what the outcome of the bid was in each case.

Michael Penning: There has been one scheme to improve the traffic flows on the A1 within the east midlands region, that lies south of Newark and north of Peterborough, in the last five years. This was a Major Projects scheme to replace six junctions on the A1 with grade separated junctions.
	The resulting junction is similar to those on motorways and results in improved journey times, allowing the local traffic to cross the main trunk road or join using a slip road. Replacing these single level roundabouts with grade separated junctions has reduced congestion, queuing and delays in these areas and improved the safety record.
	Three of the junctions targeted as part of this scheme are between Newark and Peterborough, Gonerby Moor (north of Grantham), Colsterworth North and South (classified as a single junction for the purposes of the scheme) and Carpenter's Wood.
	The scheme started in 2006 and completed in 2009. The total value was £95 million. As a result of this planned major improvement, no additional funding was bid for to improve traffic flows during this period.

Roads: Accidents

Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average  (a) death,  (b) injury and  (c) personal injury rate from road traffic accidents was per mile of (i) trunk A-roads, (ii) all A-roads and (iii) all roads in the latest period for which figures are available.

Michael Penning: The information requested is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Reported casualties in personal injury road accidents per mile of road, by type of road: England, 2009 
			   Casualties 
			  Type of road  Killed  Injured( 1) 
			 Trunk A-roads 0.06 3.88 
			 All A roads 0.07 6.10 
			 All roads 0.01 1.04 
			 (1) Seriously or slightly injured.  Note: Figures for "injury" and "personal injury" are the same.

Waterloo Station

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish a list of the  (a) individuals and  (b) organisations from whom he has received representations on the future of the Waterloo International terminal.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport has received representations from the following individuals and organisations in the past six months:
	 (a) Individuals
	Kate Hoey MP
	Caroline Pidgeon AM
	Two members of the general public.
	 (b) Organisations
	South Bank Employers' Group.

West Coast Main Line

Edward Timpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to announce his decision on the West Coast Main Line franchise.

Theresa Villiers: The Secretary of State announced his intentions to refranchise the Intercity West Coast franchise from 2012 until the planned opening of HS2 in 2026 by way of a written ministerial statement on 7 December 2010,  Official Report, columns 15-18WS.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to reply to Question 20169, on the cap on rail fares, tabled on 25 October 2010.

Theresa Villiers: I responded to the question on 8 December 2010.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Energy Supply

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the cost was of  (a) electricity and  (b) gas supplied to his Department's offices at 3 Whitehall Place in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Gregory Barker: The following table shows the energy costs for 3 Whitehall Place over the last 12 months for which we currently have data (rounded to the nearest pound).
	
		
			  £ 
			   Electricity invoice cost  Gas invoice cost 
			  2009   
			 November 12,624 1,677 
			 December 13,117 2,159 
			
			  2010   
			 January 13,739 2,776 
			 February 13,264 2,533 
			 March 12,011 2,001 
			 April 13,572 1,256 
			 May 13,767 1,218 
			 June 14,718 1,064 
			 July 14,964 1,087 
			 August 13,663 1,069 
			 September 13,451 1,014 
			 October 13,710 738 
		
	
	Invoices are received in the middle of each month for the previous month's energy use, so we do not yet have costs for November 2010.

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to respond to the letters from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay of 18 October and 30 November 2010 on cheapest tariff information.

Charles Hendry: I have responded to my hon. Friend the Member for Basildon and Billericay on 9 December.

CABINET OFFICE

Charity Commission: Finance

Bill Esterson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the outcome of the comprehensive spending review on the ability of the Charity Commission to  (a) provide advice to charities and  (b) reduce the incidence of fraud.

Nick Hurd: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Liverpool, Riverside (Mrs Ellman) on 1 December 2010,  Official Report, columns 880-81W.

Civil Servants: Recruitment

Julian Huppert: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether he has plans to increase the number of civil servant entrants on the science and engineering fast stream.

Nick Hurd: Civil Service Fast Streamers are recruited to meet departmental demand from across the civil service. The Cabinet Office therefore recruits the number of Science and Engineering Fast Streamers required to fulfil the identified need. Science and Engineering Fast Streamers bring specialist knowledge and evidence-based analysis skills to bear on their work and the civil service remains committed to making best use of those skills in future.

Civil Servants: Recruitment

Julian Huppert: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many science and engineering fast-streamers were recruited by each Government Department in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many such fast-streamers are planned to be recruited in future years.

Francis Maude: The number of Science and Engineering Fast Streamers recruited in each of the last five years for which figures are available are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) (including previous incarnations as BERR DIUS and DTI) 5 4 4 9 6 
			 Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) - - - - 1 
			 Department for Environment Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) 1 - - - - 
			 Ministry of Defence (MOD) 8 9 10 6 9 
		
	
	Figures for 2010 recruitment will be published in 2011.
	Civil service Fast Streamers are recruited to meet departmental demand from across the civil service, The Cabinet Office therefore recruits the number of Science and Engineering Fast Streamers required to fulfil the identified need.

Immigration

Alun Cairns: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of immigrants from  (a) each EU member state and  (b) each other state resident in each parliamentary constituency.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	.
	The Office for National Statistics produces estimates of the population of the UK by country of birth and nationality using the Annual Population Survey (APS). The lowest geographical breakdown available using these estimates is local authority level. Therefore APS estimates cannot be used to state the numbers of EU citizens resident in each parliamentary constituency.

Immigration: Morocco

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of Moroccan nationals who were resident in the UK in each year since 2000.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated December 2010:
	.
	The Office for National Statistics collects data on nationality as part of the Annual Population Survey (APS) which covers residents of the UK. The APS data are only available from 2004 onwards, so cannot be used to produce comparable figures for years before this.
	The estimates for the number of Moroccan nationals for the calendar years of 2004 to 2009 are given in the table below. These data are based on a sample survey and so there is a degree of statistical uncertainty around these estimates, which is expressed through the confidence intervals in the table.
	
		
			  Table 1: Estimated population resident in the United Kingdom, who have Moroccan nationality 2004-09 
			  Thousand 
			   Estimate  CI +/- 
			 2004 5 3 
			 2005 7 3 
			 2006 8 4 
			 2007 7 3 
			 2008 7 3 
			 2009 9 4 
			 CI = Confidence Interval  Source: Annual Population Survey (APS)/Labour Force Survey (LFS) , ONS

New Businesses

Martin Vickers: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what information his Department holds on the number of small and medium-sized enterprises established in the last 10 years; and what information it holds on the proportion of such enterprises which have continued to operate after three years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the number of small and medium-sized enterprises established in the last 10 years; and what information it holds on the proportion of such enterprises that have continued to operate after three years.
	Annual statistics on the number of enterprise births and survivals are available from the ONS release on business demography at:
	www.statistics.gov.uk
	However enterprise survival statistics are not available separately for small and medium sized enterprises. The table below contains the latest statistics available, which show enterprise births and three year survival in the UK from 2002 to 2003.
	
		
			   Births  Three-year survival 
			 2002 242,540 152,500 
			 2003 267,000 169,875 
			 2004 280,080 182,810 
			 2005 274,855 177,840 
			 2006 255,530 169,190 
			 2007 280,725 (1)- 
			 2008 267,445 (1)- 
			 2009 238,025 (1)- 
			 (1 )Data not available.

Public Sector: Procurement

Tom Brake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Southend West of 24 November 2010,  Official Report, column 254, on consultancy, what safeguards are in place to avoid any conflict of interest arising in the award of contracts; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: The Government have in place robust procedures for the avoidance of any conflict of interest, including through the requirements of the Ministerial Code. These cover Ministers and their immediate family members.
	With regard to the specific contract between the Cabinet Office and DLA Piper, the legal firm which employs the Deputy Prime Minister's wife, Miriam González Durántez, the Deputy Prime Minister had no involvement in the award of this contract in 2008 under the last Government. The Deputy Prime Minister is a Minister in the Cabinet Office not the Minister for the Cabinet Office and he has had no involvement in the award or management of Cabinet Office contracts.
	Furthermore, the Deputy Prime Minister and Miriam González Durántez have been assiduous at all times in ensuring there is no conflict of interest between the Deputy Prime Minister's official responsibilities and their private interests. In accordance with the Ministerial Code, the Deputy Prime Minister, on appointment to office, provided the Cabinet Secretary with a list of his interests. At the same time, Miriam González Durántez had separate discussions with the Cabinet Secretary and the Cabinet Office Director of Propriety and Ethics to ensure there was no conflict between her work and the Deputy Prime Minister's official responsibilities. Procedures have been put in place to ensure any contract between DLA Piper and the Government is insulated from Miriam González Durántez's role in DLA Piper so no conflict will arise.

Vacancies

Michael Meacher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the average number of employment vacancies  (a) in each of the last 10 years and  (b) in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated November 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of the average number of employment vacancies (a) in each of the last 10 years and (b) in the latest period for which figures are available. (26318)
	The Office for National Statistics estimates the number of vacancies from the Vacancy Survey for the United Kingdom.
	Table 1 shows the number of vacancies, in the United Kingdom, for each 3 month period ending October from 2001 to 2010.
	
		
			  Table 1. Number of vacancies, within the United Kingdom 
			  Average for three months ending  October each year  Total vacancies (thousand seasonally adjusted) 
			 2001 630 
			 2002 600 
			 2003 595 
			 2004 646 
			 2005 603 
			 2006 611 
			 2007 678 
			 2008 587 
			 2009 432 
			 2010 453 
			  Source: ONS Vacancy Survey

Voluntary Work

Jessica Morden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps his Department is taking to work with charities to ensure the effective deployment of volunteers.

Nick Hurd: Supporting social action is a key pillar of the Government's vision for the big society. The Cabinet Office is currently working across Government to produce a Green Paper on the Giving of Time and Money which will set out the Government's commitment to supporting the development of a culture of social action including volunteering. The Green Paper will also provide details on new volunteering programmes that are currently being developed within the Cabinet Office.
	In addition the Cabinet Office is currently funding a Volunteer Management Programme which is working with civil society organisations to improve access to support for volunteer managers to enable them to effectively support volunteers within their organisations.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Margot James: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of likely providers of the National Citizenship Service in  (a) the Black Country and  (b) the Metropolitan borough of Dudley.

Nick Hurd: Cabinet Office has announced the outcome of the commissioning process for National Citizen Service pilots in summer 2011, and I can confirm that Catch22, the Prince's Trust and V will be leading pilots that include coverage in the Black Country, and that the Prince's Trust will be delivering in the metropolitan borough of Dudley.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Margot James: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether he has received any applications for providers of the National Citizenship Service from organisations based in  (a) the Black Country and  (b) the metropolitan borough of Dudley.

Nick Hurd: Cabinet Office has announced the outcome of the commissioning process for National Citizen Service pilots in summer 2011. Catch22, The Prince's Trust and V will be leading pilots that include coverage in the black country including the metropolitan borough of Dudley, working with the following local delivery partners:
	Catch22 is working with Pertemps Coachright (Sandwell), Nacro (Walsall) as well as the Catch22 local team in Wolverhampton.
	Prince's Trust is working with West Bromwich Albion FC (West Bromwich) and Wolverhampton college (Walsall and Dudley)
	V is working with Wolverhampton college (Wolverhampton)
	I am unable to disclose the details of unsuccessful bidders for NCS pilots in 2011.

EDUCATION

Children in Care

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children subject to a care order, police protection order or emergency protection order excluding children looked after under Section 20 of the Children Act 1989 left care through adoption in England in each year from 1989 to 1995.

Tim Loughton: The number of children who were subject to a care order, police protection order or emergency protection order (excluding children looked after under Section 20 of the Children Act 1989), who left care through adoption in England in each year ending 31 March 1993 to 1995 is shown in the following table.
	The year ending 31 March 1993 is the earliest year for which this information is available. The Children Act of 1989, which came into force on 14 October 1991, introduced new classifications for the legal status of looked after children. Therefore data is not available on a comparable basis with earlier years.
	
		
			  Children who were adopted during the year ending 31 March who were subject to a care order, police protection order or emergency protection order( 1,2,3,4 ) Years ending 31 March 1993 to 1995 
			   Number of children 
			 1993(5) 120 
			 1994 1,300 
			 1995 1,000 
			 (1) Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1000, and to the nearest 10 otherwise.  (2) Figures exclude children looked after under Section 20 of the Children Act 1989 and also under an agreed series of short-term placements.  (3 )Historical data may differ from older publications. This is mainly due to the implementation of amendments and corrections sent by some local authorities after the publication date of previous materials.  (4) Figures are taken from the SSDA903 return which covered all children looked after.  (5) This is the first time figures were produced, and as such should be treated with caution.   Source: SSDA903.

Curriculum: Armed Conflict

Marcus Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will bring forward proposals to include in the National Curriculum measures to teach school children about the UK's involvement in military conflict.

Nick Gibb: The Government believe it is important that all school children should be made aware of, and learn the lessons from, the United Kingdom's involvement in military conflict, and we have made clear our intention to restore history to the heart of the national curriculum.
	We also believe that it is important that schools should help to give their pupils an awareness of the bravery and sacrifice of our armed forces, both in previous conflicts and those that continue in the present day, as many schools do, particularly around Remembrance day.
	We will announce full details of the national curriculum review shortly.

Departmental Postal Services

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department has taken to identify those of its services that could be provided through the Post Office network.

Tim Loughton: There are currently no policies going through the Department for Education which would require the Department to make use of the services that could be provided through the Post Office network. However, in view of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) published policy statement of the 9 November 2010 about securing the Post Office networking, if there are services that the Department would require in the near future, all options for delivery would be considered including those offered by the Post Office network.
	There are clear strengths around the collection, dissemination and identity verification that the Post Office network could bring to central and local government service delivery and I invite the hon. Member for Great Yarmouth to put forward any suggestion he may have for any services from my Department which could be provided by the Post Office network.

Education Maintenance Allowance: Stoke-on-Trent

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what percentage of young people in Stoke-on-Trent who are in receipt of education maintenance allowance would be eligible for support under the Enhanced Discretionary Learner Support Fund.

Nick Gibb: Decisions regarding the new discretionary fund will be made locally, enabling schools, colleges and training providers to target support at those young people in greatest need.
	The current discretionary scheme supports around 200,000 young people each year.

Free School Meals

Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of children in  (a) Hastings and Rye constituency,  (b) East Sussex and  (c) England who are entitled to free school meals whose parents or carers do not take up this benefit.

Nick Gibb: The Department collects information on the number of pupils who meet the free school meals eligibility criteria and make a claim. Information is not collected on the number of pupils who meet the eligibility criteria but do not make a claim.
	Information on the number and proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at national and local authority level can be found in the Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics: January 2010 Statistical First Release at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000925/index.shtml
	Information at parliamentary constituency level can be found in the Library.

Free Schools

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education who will be responsible for assessing the fitness to practice of teachers in free schools.

Nick Gibb: Innovation, diversity and flexibility are at the heart of the free schools policy. We want the dynamism that characterises the best independent schools to drive up standards in the state sector. In that spirit we will not be setting requirements in relation to qualifications. Instead we will expect business cases to demonstrate how governing bodies intend to guarantee the highest quality of teaching and leadership in their schools. No school will be allowed to proceed unless its proposals for quality teaching are soundly based. As employers and accountable bodies, free school academy trusts will be responsible for ensuring that the appropriate checks are carried out on all staff to ensure that only people appropriate for the post they are recruited for are appointed.

Further Education: Finance

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether funding from the Discretionary Learner Support Fund will be contingent on a minimum level of attendance at a further education institution.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 29 November 2010
	 Decisions regarding the new discretionary fund will be made locally, enabling schools, colleges and training providers to target support at those young people in greatest need.
	In finalising the arrangements for the enhanced discretionary learner support fund, the Department will consult with schools, colleges and training organisations, including on what guidance is required to administer the fund effectively.

Further Education: Finance

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether further education colleges which enrol 14 to 16 year olds eligible for funding from the pupil premium will receive a share of that funding.

Nick Gibb: The majority of 14 to 15-year-olds attending colleges are registered at a school and on a school roll so the pupil premium will be allocated to that school. Division of the pupil premium will be a matter of discussion and negotiation between the college and the "home" institution, as with the rest of the funding for the pupil.

Pre-school Education

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what the average hourly rate per child paid to childcare providers is under his Department's nursery education funding scheme for three and four year olds;
	(2)  for how many weeks per year his Department's nursery education funding scheme will cover free childcare for two year olds;
	(3)  what the maximum hourly rate paid to childcare providers offering free childcare for two year olds will be under his Department's nursery education funding scheme;
	(4)  whether awards to local authorities under the nursery education funding scheme will be ring-fenced;
	(5)  whether he plans to set a minimum required Ofsted rating for childcare providers to be eligible to bid to provide free places for two year olds under his Department's nursery education funding scheme.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 8 November 2010
	 In his statement on the outcome of the spending review on 20 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 949-65, the Chancellor announced that all three and four-year-olds would continue to receive 15 hours per week of free early education, and that, through an additional investment of £300 million, this would be extended to all disadvantaged two-year-olds by the end of the spending review period.
	Further details, including on the question of how the additional £300 million will be will be allocated to local authorities, will be announced in due course. However, the extension of free early education for two-year-olds will take account of the existing pilot in all 152 local authorities in England. This currently provides free early education to these children for up to 15 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year for around 20,000 two-year-olds drawn from the most disadvantaged families.
	Under the current pilot, local authorities are strongly encouraged to use only provision rated good or outstanding by the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted), although they can use early years settings rated as satisfactory if the authority is satisfied that the setting is actively working towards a higher rating.
	For the current pilot, the Department provides funding to local authorities calculated on the basis of £6.00 per hour in London and £4.85 outside of London.
	Funding for early education for three and four-year-olds is allocated to local authorities through the ring-fenced Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), but is not ring-fenced within the DSG. Local authorities in consultation with Schools Forums decide locally how best to distribute 3-16 funding across their locality, and local authorities set their own local rates of funding to early years providers.
	An analysis of the rates paid by the 71 local authorities that have already implemented their Early Years Single Funding Formula is available on the Department's website:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/earlyyears/fundingreform/eysff_pathfinderprogramme/
	It found that the median base rates paid to different types of provider range from £3.54 to £3.76 per hour. Supplements for deprivation are also paid by all authorities, and many also provide supplements for quality and flexibility.

Public Expenditure

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department has established processes to monitor any effects of proposed reductions in its expenditure.

Tim Loughton: The Department will publish indicators that it will use to monitor the spending on and performance of the education and children's services system. These, together with other information including contact with front line organisations and with the users of their services, will help the Department to monitor the effects of the recent comprehensive spending review settlement. This settlement will mean reductions in expenditure in some areas, but will include a real terms increase in funding for schools.

Pupils: Bullying

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to prevent the use of  (a) anti-Semitic and  (b) homophobic material in part-time weekend schools.

Nick Gibb: It is unacceptable for anti-Semitic or homophobic material to be used in any part of the education of children in England. We will be bringing forward proposals to ensure that children are properly protected from such material in part-time weekend schools. In developing proposals we will take advice from Ofsted.

Schools: Rural Areas

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools classified by his Department as rural there were in each county in each year since 1997.

Nick Gibb: A table showing the total number of maintained schools classified as rural schools in each local authority for the years 1997, 2003, 2008, 2009 and 2010 has been placed in the House Libraries. Information for other years since 1997 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Schools: Vocational Guidance

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to consult  (a) local authorities and  (b) schools on his plans for a school-based careers service.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills are working together to establish an all-age careers service. Schools will be responsible for securing access for their pupils to independent and impartial careers guidance.
	We recognise the importance of consulting with local authorities and with schools to inform the design and development of the new service. Officials have already held discussions with representatives of both, and we intend those discussions to continue, including through the establishment of a formal advisory group.

Schools: Vocational Guidance

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which groups of young people will be given priority for access to careers and connexion services in future.

Nick Gibb: We will establish an all-age careers service, open to all young people and adults through a range of channels, including a website, helpline and face-to-face support. We will develop the detail of the new service in discussion with local authorities, schools and the careers sector.
	Alongside this, schools will take responsibility for securing access to independent, impartial careers guidance, whether from the all-age service or other high quality careers guidance services. They will have the freedom to fulfil this responsibility in ways that best meet the needs of their students.
	With the establishment of an all-age careers service, local authorities will no longer be expected to provide a universal careers guidance service to young people. However, they will continue to support all vulnerable young people aged up to 19 (and up to the age of 25 for those young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities) to participate in education, employment or training. Decisions as to the targeting of such services will be for local authorities.

Schools: Vocational Guidance

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to ensure the professional impartiality of the  (a) careers and  (b) connexions services after the devolution of the service to individual schools and independent providers.

John Hayes: The new arrangements for careers guidance, based on the core principles of independence and professionalism, will require schools to work in partnership with expert careers advisers. We will take steps to promote high quality, impartial careers guidance by responding positively to the recently published report, 'Towards a Strong Careers Profession', produced by the Careers Profession Task Force. The report makes 14 recommendations to establish and enhance the principles of professionalism in the careers sector including the development of common professional standards and a code of ethics. The advice in this report is based on an extensive programme of consultation and evidence gathering over the past year, as well as the shared expertise of task force members. Reports on progress made against the recommendations will be made available in March 2011 and March 2012.

Special Educational Needs: Pupil Exclusions

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of children with  (a) school action plans,  (b) school action plus plans and  (c) statements of special educational needs were permanently excluded in each year since 2005.

Nick Gibb: Information on the number of permanent exclusions by special education need (SEN) is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary, state-funded secondary and special schools( 1, 2, 3) .  Number of permanent exclusions by special educational needs (SEN)( 4)  England, 2005/06 to 2008/09 (Estimates)( 5) 
			Permanent exclusions( 5) 
			Number of exclusions  Percentage of permanent exclusions( 6)  Percentage of the relevant school population( 7) 
			 2005/06 Pupils with SEN with statements 890 10 0.39 
			  Pupils at School Action Plus 3,430 37 0.88 
			  Pupils at School Action 1,940 21 0.23 
			  Pupils with no SEN 3,060 33 0.05 
			  All pupils(8) 9,330 100 0.12 
			  
			 2006/07 Pupils with SEN with statements 780 9 0.36 
			  Pupils at School Action Plus 3,570 41 0.86 
			  Pupils at School Action 1,750 20 0.20 
			  Pupils with no SEN 2,560 30 0.04 
			  All pupils(8) 8,680 100 0.12 
			  
			 2007/08 Pupils with SEN with statements 700 9 0.33 
			  Pupils at School Action Plus 3,460 43 0.78 
			  Pupils at School Action 1,620 20 0.18 
			  Pupils with no SEN 2,350 29 0.04 
			  All pupils(8) 8,130 100 0.11 
			  
			 2008/09 Pupils with SEN with statements 510 8 0.24 
			  Pupils at School Action Plus 2,870 44 0.62 
			  Pupils at School Action 1,300 20 0.14 
			  Pupils with no SEN 1,680 28 0.03 
			  All pupils(8) 6,550 100 0.09 
			 (1 )Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes city technology colleges and academies (including all-through academies). (3) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools. (4) SEN is recorded at the time of exclusion. (5) Figures relating to permanent exclusions are estimates based on incomplete pupil-level data. (6) The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the total number of permanent exclusions. (7) The number of excluded pupils by SEN stage expressed as a percentage of all pupils with the same SEN stage in primary, secondary and all special schools (excluding dually registered pupils) in January each year. (8) Totals include a small number of pupils for whom stage of SEN was not known.  Note: Totals may not appear to equal the sum of component parts because numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census

Special Educational Needs: Pupil Exclusions

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of children with  (a) school action plans,  (b) school action plus plans and  (c) statements of special educational needs received (i) one to three, (ii) three to five, (iii) five to 10 and (iv) more than 10 fixed period exclusions in each year since 2005.

Nick Gibb: Data on the special educational needs status of excluded pupils are collected at the time of exclusion.
	Information on the number of excluded pupil enrolments in 2007/08 and 2008/09 is shown in the table. A pupil's SEN status can change between periods of exclusion; therefore data relating to the SEN status of excluded pupil enrolments has been based on their SEN status at the time of their most recent fixed period or permanent exclusion. To carry out this analysis for further years would incur disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Maintained primary, state-funded secondary and special schools( 1,2,3) , N umber and proportion of pupil enrolments with special education needs (SEN) by number of fixed period exclusions( 4,5) , England  2007/08 to 2008/09 
			   Number of f ixed  p eriod  e xclusions 
			   1 or 2  3 or 4  5 to 10  More than 10 
			   Number of pupil enrolments( 4)  Percentage of school population( 6)  Number of pupil enrolments( 4)  Percentage of school population( 6)  Number of pupil enrolments( 4)  Percentage of school population( 6)  Number of pupil enrolments( 4)  Percentage of school population( 6) 
			  2007/ 08 
			 Pupils with SEN with statements 12,330 5.78 3,350 1.57 2,050 0.96 240 0.11 
			 Pupils at School Action Plus 34,560 7.81 9,880 2.23 5,590 1.26 430 0.10 
			 Pupils at School Action 37,150 4.20 6,150 0.70 2,440 0.28 110 0.01 
			 Pupils with no SEN 80,240 1.35 7,700 0.13 2,570 0.04 110 0.00 
			 All pupils 164,280 2.20 27,070 0.36 12,650 0.17 890 0.01 
			  
			  2008/09 
			 Pupils with SEN with statements 11,680 5.54 3,270 1.55 1,910 0.91 220 0.10 
			 Pupils at School Action Plus 35,430 7.59 9,870 2.11 5,510 1.18 400 0.09 
			 Pupils at School Action 35,970 3.99 5,800 0.64 2,190 0.24 110 0.01 
			 Pupils with no SEN 73,090 1.25 6,950 0.12 2,230 0.04 90 0.00 
			 All pupils 156,170 2.10 25,880 0.35 11,840 0.16 810 0.01 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed.  (2) Includes city technology colleges and academies (including all-through academies).  (3) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools.  (4) Pupils may be counted more than once if they were registered at more than one school or moved schools during the school year.  (5) Pupils' SEN status at the time of their most recent fixed period or permanent exclusion.  (6) The number of excluded pupils by SEN stage expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of all pupils (excluding dually registered pupils) with the same SEN stage in January each year.   Note:  Totals may not appear to equal the sum of component parts because numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.   Source:  School Census

Specialist Schools and Academies Trust: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department has  (a) paid out and  (b) granted to the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11; what the planned expenditure is for 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Department paid a total of £35,893,936 to the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) in 2009-10 of which £20,378,819 was paid under contracts won by SSAT in open competition and £15,515,117 was grant.
	The Department is due to pay a total of £29,747,500 to SSAT in 2010-11 of which £15,411,282 is due to be paid under contracts won by SSAT in open competition and £14,336,218 is grant.
	The Department currently has no plans to grant fund SSAT in 2011-12 but SSAT would, of course, be free to bid for any contracts which the Department advertised in future.

Students: Finance

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether academic institutions will be required to assess household income when determining the students they plan to fund through the Discretionary Learner Support Fund in the 2011-12 academic year.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 29 November 2010
	 Decisions regarding the new discretionary fund will be made locally, enabling schools, colleges and training providers to target support at those young people in greatest need.
	In finalising the arrangements for the enhanced discretionary learner support fund, the Department will consult with schools, colleges and training organisations, including on what guidance is required to administer the fund effectively.

Students: Finance

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for unspent funds in discretionary learner support funds at the end of academic year 2011-12.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 29 November 2010
	We will work with representatives of schools, colleges and training providers to finalise the arrangements for the enhanced fund, including mechanisms for dealing with any unspent funding. Currently the Young People's Learning Agency has a process to redistribute unused discretionary learner support funds from providers who indicate that they will not use all their allocation to providers who indicate they need more support.

Students: Finance

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what age limits will be placed on access to student financial support for the discretionary learner support fund by his Department for the academic year 2011-12.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 29 November 2010
	Currently young people over compulsory school age and under the age of 19 can access discretionary learner support funds operated by the Department for Education. We have no plans to change this when we introduce the enhanced fund. Adults aged 19 and over are currently able to access discretionary learner funds operated by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills.

Students: Finance

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effects on student choice in applying to higher education institutions of differing levels of financial assistance being available via the discretionary learner support fund at further education institutions.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 29 November 2010
	The aim of the enhanced discretionary funding is for schools, colleges and training providers to be able to target those young people who need the support to enable them to remain in education post 16. In addition, the introduction of the new National Scholarship programme, linked to the pupil premium, will also help to widen access to higher education for young people from the poorest backgrounds. We do not anticipate any impact on student choice in applying to higher education from the introduction of the enhanced discretionary funding.

Students: Finance

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether private training providers will be eligible for Government funding to administer their own discretionary learner support funds in academic year 2011-12.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 29 November
	As under current arrangements, the enhanced discretionary learner support funds for young people aged 16 to 18 will be available to support students studying YPLA-funded courses in colleges, sixth form colleges, school sixth forms, private training providers and higher education institutions.

Sure Start Programme: Finance

Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funding he expects to provide for Sure Start during the spending review period.

Sarah Teather: Sure Start will be maintained in cash terms over the next spending review period, including investment in health visitors.

Vocational Guidance

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what mechanism he plans to establish to ensure that common professional standards for careers and Connexions services are maintained in each local authority during the comprehensive spending review period.

Nick Gibb: We will establish an all-age careers service, open to all young people and adults through a range of channels, including a website, helpline and face-to-face support. We will develop the detail of the new service in discussion with local authorities, schools and the careers sector.
	The Government have recently welcomed the report of the Careers Profession Taskforce, which makes 14 recommendations designed to uphold common professional standards and ethics. We are working with members of the taskforce and of the Careers Profession Alliance to support implementation of the recommendations, and will be asking for a report on progress in March 2011 and in March 2012.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Developing Countries: Sexuality

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce the incidence of discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in developing countries.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) works with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on UK human rights policy overseas, including lobbying against prejudice and persecution of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.
	In July 2010, the Government Equalities Office (GEO) published "Working for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality", a programme of work that sets out how the UK will continue to push towards LGBT equality at home and abroad. The Government's work abroad includes examining the human rights records of other countries through the UN-led universal periodic review and working through the Commonwealth to engage with the 42 Commonwealth countries that retain homophobic legislation. GEO continue to work with DFID to develop the action plan abroad, which seeks the decriminalisation of homosexuality.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Armed Forces

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many recruits there were to the Afghan National Army in each month of 2009 and 2010;
	(2)  how many people left the Afghan National Army in each month of 2009 and 2010.

Liam Fox: holding answer 2 December 2010
	We are making excellent progress on growing the Afghan National Security Forces and are currently ahead of schedule for meeting the target of 171,600 Afghan National Army by the end of 2011.
	Recruitment and retention are matters for the Government of Afghanistan but we will continue to work closely with them to help build their capacity and capability.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what regulations govern his Department's relationship with the private security contractors it employs in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Fox: The Ministry of Defence does not contract directly with private military security companies in Afghanistan.

Colchester Garrison

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has plans to declare any part of the Middlewick Ranges, Colchester Garrison, surplus to military requirements.

Andrew Robathan: Middlewick Ranges is a fully operational firing range. There are currently no plans to declare any part of Middlewick Ranges surplus to military requirements.
	However, as outlined in the Defence Estates Strategy 2006 (In Trust and On Trust), Ministry of Defence holdings of training facilities are constantly kept under review to take account of changing requirements.

Departmental Land

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how long on average it took to complete a land quality assessment on part of the defence estate in the latest period for which figures are available.

Peter Luff: Land quality assessment (LQA) is a phased process but not every phase will be required in all cases. For that reason it would be misleading to provide an average figure.
	Each LQA is site and situation specific and the time taken will be dependent upon such factors as the size and nature of the site in question, and the availability of information. That said, Phase One LQA typically takes around three months. The subsequent site investigation (Phase Two LQA) can take from 11 to 30 weeks. Remediation may take some years to complete.

Departmental Overtime

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on overtime for staff working within his private office in each of the last five years.

Liam Fox: The budgetary area which includes the Secretary of State for Defence's private office paid the following sums in overtime over the period in question.
	
		
			  Financial year  £ 
			 2005-06 53,845.14 
			 2006-07 62,550.63 
			 2007-08 77,992.40 
			 2008-09 119,630.38 
			 2009-10 76,622.69 
			 2010-11 (April to October) 59,865.80 
		
	
	Not all of the staff who were paid overtime by this area, in this period, would have worked directly in the Private Office. Numbers claiming in each year vary but in some years up to a dozen people have claimed overtime against this budgetary area.

Departmental Press: Subscriptions

Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to which local newspapers his Department had a subscription between May 2006 and May 2010; on what date each such subscription started; and what the cost to the public purse was of such subscriptions.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence has an enabling contract with a supplier to provide newspapers and copyrate magazines at a discounted rate to units within the London area which came into force on 1 March 2002. MOD is in the process of re-tendering this contract with a view to reducing the cost.
	MOD units outside London may purchase newspapers under local arrangements. Information on the titles ordered and expenditure under these local arrangements is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Overall expenditure under the enabling contract for the supply of copyrate magazines, national and regional newspapers for units within the London area for the period May 2006 to May 2010, and also for June 2010 to date, is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 May 2006-April 2007 54,084.96 
			 May 2007-April 2008 61,506.52 
			 May 2008-April 2009 69,648.61 
			 May 2009-May 2010 90,370.07 
			 June 2010-November 2010 25,545.91 
		
	
	No central record is kept of the individual titles ordered under the contract, and this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Press: Subscriptions

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on press cuttings services in each year since 1997.

Andrew Robathan: Within the Ministry of Defence, the Directorate of Media and Communications provides press cuttings to those central sections of the Department requiring sight of the coverage given to defence issues in the local, national and international media. In order to properly communicate defence policy and the work of our armed forces and civilian personnel, it is vital that the Department gains a rapid awareness of such coverage.
	The provision of a press cuttings service is regularly reviewed to ensure the best value for money, both in terms of the number of recipients and the search terms used. These are kept to a minimum consistent with maintaining the appropriate level of awareness.
	The cost of press cuttings services purchased by the MOD press office is shown as follows. Figures given indicate the costs for each complete financial year over the period for which records are held and do not account for inflation.
	
		
			  FY  Cost of press cuttings services (£000) 
			 2009-10 144 
			 2008-09 127 
			 2007-08 182 
			 2006-07 (1)166 
			 2005-06 112 
			 2004-05 111 
			 (1) No figure is held for the month of April 2006. Total shown is for the remaining 11 months.  Note: The figures given above exclude VAT and Newspaper Licensing Authority fees.

France: Military Alliances

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to consult hon. Members during the ratification process for the proposed UK-France Treaty on nuclear weapons co-operation.

Liam Fox: Following the UK-France summit on 2 November 2010 and the signing of the UK-France Treaty relating to Joint Hydrodynamics Facilities to maintain the safety and reliability of our existing nuclear weapons stockpile, I responded to detailed questions from hon. Members of the House on the purpose, scope, and implications of the Treaty. The Treaty was laid before Parliament on 10 November 2010, with an accompanying Explanatory Memorandum setting out the Government's position. It was laid under the Ponsonby rule which allows hon. Members of Parliament in both Houses 21 sitting days to consider the Treaty and ensures that they have a full opportunity to raise any questions or request a debate on the Treaty in the usual way before ratification.

USA: Cluster Munitions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department took to inform both Houses of discussions with officials of  (a) the US Administration and  (b) other governments relevant to the Cluster Munitions (Prohibition) Bill (i) before and (ii) during the passage of the Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Fox: This is a matter for the previous government.

USA: Cluster Munitions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has issued any authorisation specified under the visiting forces section of the Cluster Munitions Prohibition Act 2009 to bring cluster munitions into  (a) the UK,  (b) UK overseas territories and  (c) UK and overseas territorial waters; if he will make it his policy to submit all future such requests for authorisation to the House for scrutiny; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Fox: No. Neither I nor any other Secretary of State in this Government has issued any authorisation under Article 8 of the Act.
	Article 8 does not require such requests to be scrutinised by Parliament. However, in the event of a future request, we would consider on a case-by-case basis how best we can keep Parliament informed within the constraints of classification and operational planning.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Landfill

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill sites.

Richard Benyon: Our long-term goal is a zero waste economy: preventing waste as far as possible, and treating waste that is produced as a valuable resource. Landfill should be the last resort.
	The amount of waste we are sending to landfill is falling rapidly and we are currently conducting a comprehensive review of the country's waste policy that will set out how we go further.

Ancient Woodland: Protection

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has for future funding for the protection of ancient woodland and forests.

James Paice: All woodland is protected through the control of tree felling under the Forestry Act, the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations and the planning system.
	Woodland owners other than the state are eligible for a range of grants which are being maintained over the spending review period.

Insurance Premiums: Flooding

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effects of proposed changes to her Department's flood defence budget on the level of premiums for homes at risk from flooding.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA is working closely with the insurance industry to maximise the availability of flood insurance cover. We are consulting on changes to the way Government funding is allocated to flood and coastal erosion risk management projects. This will help safeguard insurance terms by encouraging increased investment beyond levels the national taxpayer alone can afford.

Waste Review

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to publish the findings of her Department's waste review.

Richard Benyon: In line with our departmental business plan, the findings of the waste review will be published in May 2011.

Commons Fisheries Policy

Mark Reckless: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had on the reform of the common fisheries policy; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: As UK Fisheries Minister, I have had discussions with a range of organisations and people about Common Fisheries Policy reform. These include discussions with the EU Fisheries Commissioner, and other member state Ministers, during November's EU Fisheries Council. I have met representatives of the fishing industry-both large scale, and under 10 metre, fleets, MEPs, and non-governmental organisations. I plan to have further discussions in pressing our case for radical reform of the CFP.

Food Labelling

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had on mandatory country of origin labelling; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: The UK has been actively involved in the EU negotiations on a new regulation for food labelling. The text for the regulation, on which political agreement was reached at the Health Council earlier this week, includes a mandatory requirement for origin labelling of fresh and frozen meat. It also requires a declaration of ingredient origin when origin claims are made. While there will be further discussion on the details of this requirement, the text is a positive move towards improving food labelling and complements the recent work that UK industry is doing to improve origin information for the benefit of UK consumers.

Common Agricultural Policy

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will bring forward a contingency plan to support UK farming in the event that the common agricultural policy is discontinued.

Caroline Spelman: I do not anticipate the CAP being discontinued in the next Financial Perspective (2014-20), but it should be reformed to enable farmers to adapt to the future. Agriculture needs to move away from permanent subsidy by continuing the market orientation of the industry. As the Prime Minister has made clear, the EU Budget also needs to reflect the budgetary constraints on European economies. The CAP budget must therefore fall significantly over the next Financial Perspective.

Rural Development: England

Duncan Hames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has for the future administration of the socio-economic elements of the rural development programme for England.

James Paice: The ongoing delivery functions of the socio-economic elements for the Rural Development Programme for England 2007-13, which are currently managed by the Regional Development Agencies, will be transferred into DEFRA.

Departmental Procurement

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 24 June 2010,  Official Report, column 291W, what assessment she has made of progress in increasing the proportion of food procured by Government Departments from farm assured sources; and what statistical evidence informed that assessment.

James Paice: The Government have made a commitment to source food, subject to no overall increase in costs, meeting British or equivalent standards of production. In addition, we are developing Government Buying Standards for food and catering. We are proposing that these standards, which are mandatory for central Departments, include a range of sustainability and nutrition criteria. Our timetable to introduce these standards is March 2011 and Departments will report in June 2011 on the amount of food procured during the year April 2010 to March 2011 that meets these Government Buying Standards.

EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council

Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the outcome was of the most recent meeting of the Fisheries Council; and which UK Ministers attended.

Richard Benyon: As the Minister for Natural Environment and Fisheries, I led the UK Fisheries delegation at the Council meeting on 29 November. I was accompanied by the Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for South East Cambridgeshire (Mr Paice) and the Minister for the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Northern Ireland (Michelle Gildernew), on both days. Due to adverse weather conditions the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Environment for the Scottish Government (Richard Lochhead) was delayed for Council negotiations, but he was present for discussions with the Commission on the following day.
	Unanimous agreement was reached on a range of catch limits and associated controls for certain deep sea species for 2011 and 2012, thus reflecting the vulnerable condition of many of the stocks concerned.
	The EU Commission updated member states on the first round of discussions with Norway over fishing opportunities for 2011. The UK took the opportunity to emphasise its priorities for the ongoing negotiations, including an expansion of the existing catch quota regime, incorporating other stocks in addition to North sea cod, and stressing the importance of reaching a balanced agreement with Coastal States on the future management of the North East Atlantic mackerel stock.
	The Commission also indicated that it would discuss with the European Parliament and member states how to resolve the current impasse on the development of long-term management plans post-Lisbon treaty.

Public Bodies: Public Finance

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the potential saving to the public purse of the abolition of the Environment Protection Advisory Committees in each of the next five years;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the potential saving to the public purse of the abolition of the Home Grown Timber Advisory Committee in each of the next five years;
	(3)  what estimate she has made of the potential saving to the public purse of the abolition of the Regional Advisory Committees established under the Forestry Act 1967 in each of the next five years;
	(4)  what estimate she has made of the potential saving to the public purse of the abolition of the regional and local Fisheries Advisory Committees in each of the next five years;
	(5)  what estimate she has made of the potential saving to the public purse of the reconstitution of the Agricultural Land Tribunals in each of the next five years;
	(6)  what estimate she has made of the potential saving to the public purse of the reconstitution of the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board in each of the next five years;
	(7)  what estimate she has made of the potential saving to the public purse of the reconstitution of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in each of the next five years;
	(8)  what estimate she has made of the potential saving to the public purse of the reconstitution of the British Waterways Board in each of the next five years;
	(9)  what estimate she has made of the potential savings to the public purse of the reconstitution of the British Wool Marketing Board in each of the next five years;
	(10)  what estimate she has made of the potential savings to the public purse of the reconstitution of the Broads Authority in each of the next five years;
	(11)  what estimate she has made of the potential savings to the public purse of the reconstitution of the Drinking Water Inspectorate in each of the next five years;
	(12)  what estimate she has made of the potential savings to the public purse of the reconstitution of the Consumer Council for Water in each of the next five years;
	(13)  what estimate she has made of the potential savings to the public purse of the reconstitution of the Environment Agency in each of the next five years;
	(14)  what estimate she has made of the potential savings to the public purse of the reconstitution of the Forestry Commissioners in each of the next five years;
	(15)  what estimate she has made of the potential savings to the public purse of the reconstitution of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee in each of the next five years;
	(16)  what estimate she has made of the potential savings to the public purse of the reconstitution of the Marine Management Organisation in each of the next five years;
	(17)  what estimate she has made of the potential savings to the public purse of the reconstitution of the National Park Authorities in each of the next five years;
	(18)  what estimate she has made of the potential savings to the public purse of the reconstitution of Natural England in each of the next five years;
	(19)  what estimate she has made of the potential savings to the public purse of the reconstitution of regional flood and coastal committees in each of the next five years;
	(20)  what estimate she has made of the potential savings to the public purse of the reconstitution of the Veterinary Products Committee in each of the next five years;
	(21)  what estimate she has made of the potential savings to the public purse of the reconstitution of the Water Services Regulation Authority in each of the next five years.

Richard Benyon: The proposed changes to DEFRA's public bodies will contribute modest savings. The main benefits of the Public Bodies Reform Bill proposals are to increase transparency and accountability of public bodies. Where bodies are to be reconstituted as expert committees, we do not envisage that significant financial savings will be generated.
	The 2011-12 budgets for the new committees have not yet been finalised but these will reflect the cuts agreed in the Government's spending review. The time scale for implementing the decisions announced on 14 October will vary for each body, and depend on legislative or administrative processes.
	The saving and proposals for each body are detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  Public body  
			 [1578] Environment Protection Advisory Committees There are seven regional committees in England. Each has a Chair, paid approximately £18,000 per annum. We propose abolishing these statutory advisory committees (in England only) and using the resources to create a new non-statutory local advisory framework with more flexible community and civil society engagement. 
			 [1579] Home Grown Timber Advisory Committee Negligible-this body will be abolished as it no longer meets. 
			 [1580] The Regional Advisory Committees established under the Forestry Act 1967 Before an order is laid to abolish the Regional Advisory Committees, a new framework will be designed in close consultation with interested parties including the existing committees, to ensure the benefits of the current approach are not lost in transition. 
			 [1581] The regional and local Fisheries Advisory Committees There are seven regional committees in England and each has a chair paid approximately £18,000 per annum. We propose abolishing these statutory advisory committees (in England only) and using the resources to create a new non-statutory local advisory framework with more flexible community and civil society engagement. 
			 [1582] The Agricultural Land Tribunals Negligible-scope to transfer jurisdiction of this tribunal into the Ministry of Justice's tribunal is currently being considered. 
			 [1583] The Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board Negligible-we are initiating debate with industry about the future of the industry levy funded body, including non-public sector options. 
			 [1584] The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Negligible-there are no changes planned for the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 
			 [1585] The British Waterways Board Negligible-it is the intention that this body would be abolished as a public corporation in England and Wales and replaced with the creation of a new waterways charity-similar to a National Trust for the waterways. This will require continuing Government investment for the immediate future 
			 [1586] The British Wool Marketing Board (BWMB) None-The BWMB is a producer-run organisation and is entirely funded through its members. However, this body is being retained on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent of the Government. 
			 [1587] The Broads Authority The current consultation on governance arrangements in the National Park and Broads Authorities will lead to a list of actions being produced for each Authority by the end of March 2011. Only at that stage will it be possible to estimate the cost or savings associated with those changes. 
			 [1588] The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) None-it is not proposed to abolish or reconstitute the Drinking Water Inspectorate. The proposal is to implement a charging scheme which will enable the DWI to recover the cost of regulatory work, except enforcement, undertaken on behalf of the water industry. These costs will be passed on to water company customers in water bills (estimated as 15 pence on the average annual water bill), which will make a saving to the public purse of £1.9 million per year. 
			 [1589] The Consumer Council for Water None-the Consumer Council for Water's expenditure requirements are covered by licence fees paid for by water companies. There is no cost to the public purse. 
			 [1590] The Environment Agency The Environment Agency will be retained and substantially reformed through structural, process and cultural change to become a more efficient and customer-focused organisation within spending review 2010 allocations (not yet announced) Only at that stage will it be possible to estimate the cost or savings associated with those changes. 
			 [1591] The Forestry Commissioners The Forestry Commissioners will be retained and substantially reformed. Details of reform to the public forest estate, managed by the Forestry Commissioners, will be set out early in the new year. Only at that stage will it be possible to estimate the cost or savings associated with those changes. 
			 [1592] The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) The current structure of the JNCC is considered to be the most efficient and effective way of delivering the independent advice required to allow the four UK conservation bodies-Natural England, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Countryside Council for Wales and the Northern Ireland Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside-to discharge their statutory responsibilities for nature conservation across the UK as a whole and internationally. JNCC will in future focus more closely on its core functions in order to deliver budget efficiencies. 
			 [1593] The Marine Management Organisation None-there are no plans to abolish this body. 
			 [1594] The National Park Authorities The current consultation on governance arrangements in the National Park and Broads Authorities will lead to a list of actions being produced for each Authority by the end of March 2011. Only at that stage will it be possible to estimate the cost or savings associated with those changes. 
			 [1595] Natural England Natural England will be substantially reformed. DEFRA is working with Natural England on structural, process and cultural change to transform it into a leaner, more efficient front line delivery body focused strongly on the Government's ambitions for the environment and the green economy within spending review 2010 allocations (not yet announced). Only at that stage will it be possible to estimate the cost or savings associated with those changes. 
			 [1596] Regional Flood and Coastal Committees None-no changes are proposed. 
			 [1597] Veterinary Products Committee None-This body is being retained on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent of Government. 
			 [1598] The Water Services Regulation Authority (Ofwat) None-Ofwat's expenditure requirements are covered by licence fees recovered from the companies they regulate and as such there is no cost to the public purse. 
			  Note: The word 'negligible' in the table refers to cases where potential savings to the public purse are estimated to be negligible. 'None' refers to instances where no savings are envisaged.

UK Woodland Assurance Standard

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate her Department has made of the area of privately-owned forest which is managed to the UK Woodland Assurance Standard.

James Paice: The area of woodland that is independently certified in England, (excluding the area managed by the Forestry Commission) is 144,000 ha. This area is managed to the UK Woodland Assurance Standard which is used as the basis for independent certification. The majority of this is private woodland, but the figure also includes woods owned by local authorities and charitable bodies such as the Woodland Trust and National Trust. There may also be a small area of woodland which is managed to the UK Woodland Assurance Standard but is not certified.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Aimhigher Programme

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the likely socio-economic effects on young people from low-income families of  (a) increasing tuition fees,  (b) cancelling the education maintenance allowance scheme and  (c) closing Aimhigher.

David Willetts: holding answer 7 December 2010
	The Government have been very clear about the importance of widening participation and improving fair access in higher education-all those with the ability should have access to higher education irrespective of family income.
	The interim equality impact assessment of the reforms to higher education funding and student finance was published on 29 November 2010:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/higher-education/docs/i/10-1310-interim-equality-impact-assessment-he-funding-and-student-finance.pdf
	Department commissioned research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) which explored how changes in fees, grants and loans impact on participation. That research, which analysed the impact of the 2006-07 HE finance reforms, indicates that while a £1,000 increase in fees results in a 4.4ppt decrease in university participation, this is more than offset by the increases resulting from provision of loans and grants (3.2ppt and 2.1ppt increases).
	The interim EQIA does not include an assessment of the full new package of proposals that includes ending Aimhigher; introducing new access arrangements for universities wishing to charge over £6,000; a new £150 million National Scholarship Programme targeted on students from disadvantaged backgrounds; and a new £2.5 billion pupil premium from April 2011. A full EQIA will be published in the coming months.
	In reaching the decision to end the education maintenance allowance (EMA), the Government closely assessed the evaluation evidence and other research which indicated that EMA does not effectively target those young people who need financial support to enable them to participate in learning. The evidence suggested that around 90% of the young people who receive EMA would still have participated in learning if the scheme was not available. Data from the 2008/09 Family Resources Survey suggests that the removal of EMA will have a negligible impact on the number of children in poverty. From 2011/12, EMA will be replaced by an enhanced learner support fund that will be administered by schools and colleges themselves, targeting those young people who face a real financial barrier to participation.

Apprentices

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of organisations that have taken on apprentices since the publication of the 2009 Office of Government Commerce guidelines on Promoting Skills through Public Procurement.

John Hayes: Information to date for the 2009/10 academic year shows that so far 85,400 site-level employers have taken on an Apprentice. Specific information on the number of organisations who have taken on an Apprentice as a direct result of action taken through the formal public procurement process is not held centrally.

Apprentices: Graduates

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeship positions suitable for graduates he expects to be created in each of the next five years as a result of the policies announced in his Department's paper, Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth.

John Hayes: This Department sets no specific targets for numbers of graduate apprentices. Apprenticeships are open to all suitably-qualified people aged 16 and over. I was pleased to be able to announce last month that total funding for adult apprenticeships will rise by up to £250 million during this Parliament, so that by 2014-15 up to 75,000 more places will be available than under the previous Administration. However, whilst graduates are eligible to take up employment as apprentices at any level, Government funding is not available to support their training.

Business: Government Assistance

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many grants made by his Department to small firms based in Reading West constituency under the  (a) Small Firms Local Guarantee scheme and  (b) Enterprise Finance Guarantee were of between (i) £1,000 and £5,000, (ii) £5,001 and £20,000, (iii) £20,001 and £50,000, (iv) £50,001 and £100,000, (v) £100,001 and £150,000, (vi) £150,001 and £200,000, (vii) £200,001 and £250,000, (viii) £250,001 and £500,000 and (ix) over £500,000 in each of the last five years.

Mark Prisk: The Small Firms Loan Guarantee (SFLG) and Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) are loan guarantee scheme through which the Government encourages additional lending to viable small businesses by providing a Government guarantee to the lender. EFG was launched in January 2009 effectively replacing SFLG.
	Between 2006/07 and 2008/09 there were 14 SFLG loans to businesses in Reading West with a value of £1.073 million. From 2009/10 to date 11 businesses in Reading West have been offered loans under EFG with a value of £725,000, of which 10 businesses have drawn down loan totalling £610,000. A full breakdown by each year follows:
	
		
			  Small Firms Loan Guarantee (SFLG) 
			  Loan value  Number of loans drawn  Value of loans drawn (£000) 
			  2006/07   
			 £1,000 to £5,000 0 0 
			 £5,001 to £20,000 1 12 
			 £20,001 to £50,000 3 89 
			 £50,001 to £100,000 1 56 
			 £100,001 to £150,000 0 0 
			 £150,001 to £200,000 1 175 
			 £200,001 to £250,000 0 0 
			 £250,001 to £500,000 0 0 
			 £500,001 to £1 million 0 0 
			 Total 6 332 
			
			  2007/08   
			 £1,000 to £5,000 0 0 
			 £5,001 to £20,000 0 0 
			 £20,001 to £50,000 3 95 
			 £50,001 to £100,000 1 75 
			 £100,001 to £150,000 0 0 
			 £150,001 to £200,000 0 0 
			 £200,001 to £250,000 1 250 
			 £250,001 to £500,000 0 0 
			 £500,001 to £1 million 0 0 
			 Total 5 420 
			
			  2008/09   
			 £1,000 to £5,000 0 0 
			 £5,001 to £20,000 1 17 
			 £20,001 to £50,000 0 0 
			 £50,001 to £100,000 0 0 
			 £100,001 to £150,000 0 0 
			 £150,001 to £200,000 2 304 
			 £200,001 to £250,000 0 0 
			 £250,001 to £500,000 0 0 
			 £500,001 to £1 million 0 0 
			 Total 3 321 
		
	
	
		
			  Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) 
			  Loan value  Number of loan offered  Value of loans offered (£000)  Number of loans drawn  Value of loans drawn (£000) 
			  2009/10 
			 £1,000 to £5,000 0 0 0 0 
			 £5,001 to £20,000 1 18 1 18 
			 £20,001 to £50,000 4 143 4 143 
			 £50,001 to £100,000 2 169 2 169 
			 £100,001 to £150,000 1 150 1 150 
			 £150,001 to £200,000 0 0 0 0 
			 £200,001 to £250,000 0 0 0 0 
			 £250,001 to £500,000 0 0 0 0 
			 £500,001 to £1 million 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 8 480 8 480 
			  
			  2010/11 
			 £1,000 to £5,000 0 0 0 0 
			 £5,001 to £20,000 0 0 0 0 
			 £20,001 to £50,000 1 30 1 30 
			 £50,001 to £100,000 1 100 1 100 
			 £100,001 to £150,000 1 115 0 0 
			 £150,001 to £200,000 0 0 0 0 
			 £200,001 to £250,000 0 0 0 0 
			 £250,001 to £500,000 0 0 0 0 
			 £500,001 to £1 million 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 3 245 2 130

Departmental Contracts

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department plans to take to encourage and support small and medium-sized enterprises and third sector organisations to compete for departmental contracts in line with value-for-money policy, UK regulations and EU procurement directives.

Edward Davey: In the coalition agreement the Government made a commitment to promote small business procurement in the public sector, with an aspiration that 25% of Government contracts should be awarded to SMEs.
	On 2 November the Minister for the Cabinet Office, the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr Maude) announced a package of measures intended to make Government procurement easier for SMEs and voluntary sector organisations by simplifying the procurement process and making opportunities more accessible. These measures include the introduction of a simpler standardised pre-qualification questionnaire which is mandated across central Government from 1 December 2010; a LEAN study investigating red tape and causes of delay in the procurement process; and from March 2011 the Contracts Finder system-a free facility for small business to find public sector procurement, and sub contracting, opportunities in a single place online and free of charge.
	The Government will be consulting further on facilitating voluntary sector access to public procurement. The Commissioning Green Paper to be published by the Cabinet Office shortly will aim to create a level playing field for charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises that wish to bid for public service contracts. The Government have launched a forum on the No. 10 website for SMEs to give their views on public procurement from which we will be able to take further action.

Departmental Public Bodies

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the oral statement of 20 October 2010,  Official Report, column 961, on the spending review, which 24 public bodies for which the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is responsible will be abolished.

Edward Davey: The 24 public bodies referred to in the oral statement of 20 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 949-65, will cease to exist in their current form but will not all be abolished. They include 19 bodies which it is proposed will no longer be non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), two bodies which will no longer be public corporations and six bodies which will be reduced to three through mergers.
	The 19 bodies which will no longer be NDPBs are: Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Arbitration Tribunal; Competition Service; Consumer Focus (National Consumer Council); Copyright Tribunal; Design Council; Hearing Aid Council; NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts); eight Regional Development Agencies; SITPRO Ltd; Strategic Advisory Board for Intellectual Property; Union Modernisation Fund Supervisory Board; Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Advisory Body.
	The bodies which will no longer be public corporations are British Nuclear Fuels Limited and British Shipbuilders.
	The six bodies which will be merged resulting in three bodies are: Central Arbitration Committee and Certification Office; Competition Commission and Office of Fair Trading; Ofcom and Postcomm.

Football: South Africa

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on entertainment activities related to the 2010 FIFA World cup.

Edward Davey: The Department's Facilities Management Team had no expenditure on entertainment-related to the 2010 FIFA World cup.

Further Education

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what new freedoms further education colleges will benefit from in  (a) 2011-12 and  (b) 2012-13.

John Hayes: We are freeing colleges so that they can respond quickly and flexibly to the needs of learners and employers and their broader local community.
	In 2011-12, we are streamlining the skills landscape so that there are fewer intermediaries with which colleges have to work: abolishing BECTA and the Qualifications, Curriculum and Development Agency, transferring the Learning Skills Improvement Service to the further education (FE) sector itself and transferring responsibility for dispensing 16 to 18 grants to FE colleges to the Skills Funding Agency from the Young People's Learning Agency so that they have a single contact point for funding and performance. We are further simplifying systems by creating a single adult skills budget, which will also rationalise data collection. Also, subject to the will of Parliament, we will remove a raft of statutory powers and duties, including the exemption of colleges judged "outstanding" by Ofsted to be inspected, unless their performance drops, and the removal of the requirement to seek approval from the chief executive of Skills Funding before borrowing.
	By 2012-13, the Institute for Learning will be self-financing and the funding system further simplified through streamlined funding rates and a simpler funding formula.

Overseas Students

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect on further education colleges of the Government's proposal to restrict student visas to those studying at degree level.

John Hayes: The proposal is that, while tier 4 is to be largely restricted to degree-level courses and child students, highly trusted sponsors will be permitted to offer courses below degree level to adults. We know that the majority of further education colleges that recruit international students are highly trusted.
	The UK Border Agency has just launched a consultation as part of its review of the student immigration system. Details can be found on the UKBA website
	www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/student-consult-online
	My Department is working with UKBA on both the review and the consultation.
	It is envisaged that an impact assessment will be undertaken as part of developing proposals following the results of the consultation.

Student Loans Company: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the average time taken was for the Student Loan Company to reply to a letter from  (a) an hon. Member and  (b) a member of the public in the last two years; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: I will respond to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
	In financial year 2009-10 it took the Student Loans Company on average 11 working days to reply to letters from Members of Parliament. In financial year 2010-11 it is taking the Company six working days on average to reply to Members of Parliament.
	In financial year 2009-10 it took the Students Loans Company on average 10 working days to reply to letters from members of the public in relation to student finance account updates and general issues. In financial year 2010-11 it is taking the Company 12 working days on average to reply to members of the public.

Students: Fees and Charges

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what research his Department has commissioned on the number of students from families with children eligible for free school meals who would be deterred from taking up higher education courses charging annual tuition fees of  (a) between £4,000 and £5,999,  (b) between £6,000 and £7,999,  (c) between £8,000 and £8,999 and  (d) £9,000 or more;
	(2)  what studies his Department has commissioned on the potential effect of annual tuition fees of  (a) £4,000,  (b) £5,000,  (c) £6,000,  (d) £7,000,  (e) £8,000 and  (f) £9,000 on (i) the level of participation in higher education by students from families with gross income of less than £35,000, (ii) the number of applications by students from lower income families for courses of over three years duration and (iii) the number of students applying for a postgraduate certificate of education as a route into teaching as a profession.

David Willetts: The Department has commissioned two pieces of related research; one carried out by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) to support the Browne Review to explore how changes in fees, grants and loans impact on participation. That research, which analysed the 2006-07 HE finance reforms, indicated that while a £1,000 increase in fees results in a 4.4 ppt decrease in university participation, this is more than offset by the increases resulting from loans and grants package (3.2 ppt and 2.1 ppt increases). The other reviewed student support arrangements in other countries which also generally indicated there are no adverse impacts on participation of lower-income groups when an increase in tuition fees occurs alongside enhanced loan and grant provision.
	The Government are committed to widening participation and improving fair access in higher education-ensuring that all those with the ability should have access to higher education irrespective of family income through the proposed package of reforms which include the introduction of new access arrangements for universities wishing to charge over £6,000; a new £150 million National Scholarship Programme targeted on students from disadvantaged backgrounds; and a more progressive system of graduate contributions.

Students: Fees and Charges

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what evidence he has received on the elasticity of demand of students from families with an annual income of  (a) up to £15,000,  (b) between £15,000 and £19,999,  (c) between £20,000 and £24,999,  (d) between £25,000 and £29,999,  (e) between £30,000 and £34,999,  (f) between £35,000 and £39,999,  (g) between £40,000 and £44,999,  (h) between £45,000 and £49,000 and  (i) £50,000 and over for higher education subjects taking (i) three years until graduation, (ii) four years until graduation and (iii) four years or over until professional qualification, where annual tuition fees are charged of (A) £3,000, (B) £4,000, (C) £5,000, (D) £6,000, (E) £7,000, (F) £8,000 and (G) £9,000.

David Willetts: The Department commissioned research to support the Browne Review which explored how changes in fees, grants and loans impact on participation. That research, which analysed the 2006-07 HE finance reforms, indicated that:
	a £1,000 increase in fees results in a 4.4 ppt decrease in university participation, this is more than offset by the increases resulting from loans and grants package (3.2 ppt and 2.1 ppt increases).
	The Government are committed to widening participation and improving fair access in higher education-ensuring that all those with the ability should have access to higher education irrespective of family income through the proposed package of reforms which include the introduction of new access arrangements for universities wishing to charge over £6,000; a new £150 million National Scholarship Programme targeted on students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Students: Loans

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which categories of part-time students will not be eligible for student loans under his proposals for higher education funding and student finance.

David Willetts: holding answer 6 December 2010
	Under our proposals and for the first time all part-time undergraduate students in England will be eligible for loans for their tuition costs provided: they are personally eligible in terms of residency; they do not already hold a qualification which is at an equivalent or higher level to the qualification for which they now intend to study; they are studying on a course which is designated for support; and they are studying at an intensity rate which is at least one-quarter of an equivalent full-time course. Currently 60,000 part-time students receive tuition grants. Under our proposals we estimate 175,000 part-timers may be eligible for loans. No eligible part-time students will have to pay for their tuition costs up front and they will not have to begin repaying until they are earning at least £21,000.

Vocational Guidance

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding his Department plans to allocate to the all-age careers service in  (a) 2010-11,  (b) 2011-12 and  (c) 2012-13; and how many officials in his Department are working on this policy.

John Hayes: The all-age careers service will be operational from April 2012, although young people and adults will be able to start accessing new arrangements for careers guidance from September 2011.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has allocated £82.8 million in 2010-11 for careers guidance for adults, which will be provided by the Next Step careers service in that year. The Department for Education (DfE) has allocated £466.7 million to local authorities for the Connexions service in 2010-11, through the area-based grant. Resources are not allocated separately to 'universal' and 'targeted' activities within the Connexions budget, and the Department does not collect data on local authority spend in those areas. However, we estimate that, of the total budget for Connexions in 2010-11, around £200 million funds careers advice and guidance activity.
	Following the spending review, BIS and DfE are working through the detail of their spending settlements and are unable at this stage to confirm the funding that will be available for the all-age service in 2011-12 or 2012-13. There are 12 officials within BIS and 16 officials within DfE currently working on this policy, although some of these officials have other areas of responsibility. There are also 10 individuals in the Skills Funding Agency who devote some of their time to the development of the all-age service.